The Two Worlds
by Phoenyxonfyre
Summary: Arslan and Daryun go to Fairy Tail! What crazy adventures will they have now? The idea for the Chinese Zodiac is not mine, I got it from a fanfiction called Fear of Fangs by RavenNM (I think). Crossposted on Wattpad and AO3 under same name. I don't own Fairy Tail or The Heroic Legend of Arslan.
1. Chapter 1

As the sun set behind the mountains in the distance, the sky was alight with pinks, oranges, and purples. The air was getting colder and crisper by the minute. Arslan and his group of friends he's made along his long journey, trotted along a dirt road on their horses. They were all on the lookout for a place to stay the night. As Arslan's group was ahead, a larger group of twenty two thousand soldiers traveled behind them.

"Prince Arslan!" Elam, the cook, called, immediately grabbing Arslan's and many others attention. "We can use that meadow as a camp ground!" He calls again, pointing to a field to their right.

The field was bright green, and as the grass was covered in a fresh layer of mist from the earlier rain shower, it glistened orange as the sun's final rays touched the water. The area was closed in by a forest of different colored greens, quickly darkening as the sun sets. The trees also kept the field from several animals that were too big to fit in between the small gaps.

"We will set up camp here!" Arslan yells above the neighing of the horses and chattering of the soldiers. They immediately stopped talking and followed their Prince down a slightly steep decline.

The dirt path started mixing with grass as they descended. Flowers of all colors became more apparent the closer to the bottom the were, and bushes full of many different kinds of berries were scattered along the border. Vines twisted and turned along the ground and the trees, some full of grapes and some empty.

When they finally reached the bottom of the path, the flowers were clearer. Shades of oranges, golds, and yellows; blues, black's, purple's; any color you can think of was there in the flowers.

As soon as all the men pooled around and his company, they started taking the tents out of their packages and setting them up. Arslan goes to help, but Daryun shoots him a look and Arslan knows not to argue. He sighs and sits on a soft patch of grass and starts twirling the flower stems between his fingers. Daryun, Arslan's over protective guard, looks over and sighs at the sight of his prince looking so bored.

"Highness?" Daryun calls out. Arslan looks up, pausing his actions.

"Would… would you like to help?" Daryun asks hesitantly. Arslan's face brightens as he shoots of the ground. He nods his head vigorously, jogging over to Daryun. Daryun,still looking hesitant, looks around for the least strenuous activity his prince could do.

"Could you help the guards collect wood for the fire, along with picking up the sticks so the tents don't get holes?" Arslan smiles and nods, wandering away to find some wood. Daryun keeps a worried and protective eye on him the entire time.

When all the sticks and twigs were picked up, along with some thicker pieces of wood, Arslan picked his way back over to Daryun.

"Where should I put these?" Arslan asks him. Narsus, the strategist and resident (horrible) painter, walks up to the two with Alfreed, a girl he rescued and now calls herself his wife, clings to his arm.

"You can put them over there by the fire pit Elam is making." Narsus speaks up respectfully.

"And as soon as the fire starts going, we can burn those horrid things you call paintings." Daryun adds. Narsus adopts a playful look of offence, scoffing, and Alfreed angrily hits Daryun's arm, not affecting him like she hoped.

"How dare you threaten my Narsus. His paintings are a masterpiece!" She exclaims. She then turns her back towards Daryun, crossing her arms and giving him the silent treatment. She would have stormed off if her beloved Narsus were not by her side. Before the fighting gets out of hand, Arslan puts a stop to it.

"Stop fighting!" The young Prince exclaims. They all look at the prince, surprised by his outburst.

"We apologize, Your Highness." Daryun says. Alfreed just bows and walks away with a loving glance at Narsus, who soon follows. Arslan sighs in exasperation and walks over to Elam, placing the wood beside him. The other guards notice this and soon follow, all of them getting a small nod of thanks from Elam.

Arslan walks back over to Daryun who's is feeding his horse Shabrang, and strikes up a conversation.

As the two converse, a rustling is heard in the bushes. One person starts marking rocks and trees with symbols, casting a spell as they work. They go over each mark several times, making sure it's right and that it's deep enough for the spell to work. When he is satisfied with the looks of it, he stops chanting the spell and starts making sounds, moving the bushes and such to catch the Prince's attention.

As Arslan and Daryun talk, a soldier runs over and snaps at attention.

"Sir! There was suspicious activity in the forest a few minutes ago." He announced. Arslan nods and turns toward him.

"Alright. Lead the way." Arslan says. The soldier bows and starts off to the forest, checking once to make sure the Prince is still following him.

When they entered the forest, Arslan diverged from the soldiers, Daryun following him, and went into a clearing that shouldn't be there. There were strange markings on the trees, faintly glowing an orange-ish color.

"What's this?" Arslan question, walking over to one of the marking. He traces it with one finger, and when he takes his finger away, sawdust stays on.

"Daryun!" Arslan calls. Daryun comes up behind Arslan.

"Yes, Your Highness?" He asks.

"What do you make of these?" Arslan wonders.

"They were probably made for a ritual of some sorts." Daryun answers.

"Then we should probably leave them alone, shouldn't we?"

"Most likely, Highness." Arslan sighs and they turn to leave, but before they are totally out of the clearing, Arslan trips on something unseen.

The markings glow bright orange, the light seeping from out of the trees and making Narsus get up to check it out. Naturally, that also made Alfreed, Elam, Farangis, and Gieve follow him, and they all trudged into the forest.

When Daryun noticed that Arslan fell, he came back to help him up. Daryun turned to leave again, until he noticed the markings getting brighter. He pulled Arslan into himself as the ground started disappearing and he tried to leave, only to find out that whatever those marking were, made a barrier around the clearing, keeping anything from going in or out.

Trying to figure out how to leave, Daryun noticed Narsus and the others running over. Narsus tried to get in, but he slammed up against an invisible force. Arslan looked at them, trying to get further away from the disappearing center.

"Highness, Daryun!" Narsus calls to them. Arslan turns to them, eyes showing his slight panic.

"It's okay! We'll be fine!" He yells back. Narsus looks at him with doubt in his eyes, and Daryun and Arslan back up to the edge of the barrier.

Just as the ground falls from under Arslan and Daryun, Daryun pulls Arslan closer into his body and they fall into a black void, their friends calling after them. They watch as the ground slowly patches itself back up, and their friends run to the center, trying to reach them before the ground closes fully. Narsus reaches his hand down to try and grab them, but the dirt comes together and closes before he can.

Daryun and Arslan fall, the wind slaps their faces and their hair comes undone. Arslan has tears streaming down his face as they plunge through the air. Daryun looks at him, concern and worry in his eyes.

"Daryun, how are we going to get back?" Arslan asks, his voice almost mute as the wind flys past his ears.

"I don't know, but I swear, I will find a way for you." Daryun answers, determination in his voice. Arslan nods and holds Daryun tighter, making sure they don't separate so they don't get lost from each other.

Looking down, trees start coming into view, along with a sky that is different from their own. It's almost… calmer, more blue in it, less tinged with blood. They fall through the trees, branches scraping at them and catching their clothes, tearing them. When the tree branches disappear, there's bushes and a green ground. Daryun tightens his grip and twist his body around so that they don't land on their heads, but their side or back.

Arslan and Daryun close their eyes, bracing for impact, and their bodies land on the ground with a loud thud. They starts losing their senses to unconsciousness one by one, their grips loosening, and their bodies relaxing until they are dead to the world, but breathing shallowly.

 **Updated as of Friday, July 28, 2017**


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy P.O.V.

Natsu and Lucy were walking through a field bordered with forests and a building, the Fairy Tail guild. Happy was flying to their right talking about fish, and Natsu was nodding his head in agreement to Happy's jabbering. A gust of cold wind hit Lucy's bare arms and legs, making her shiver. She turned to Natsu, opening her mouth to speak, but she's interrupted by branches snapping and a loud thud.

"Hey, Natsu?" Natsu turns to look at here. "What was that sound?" Lucy asks. Natsu looks at her in confusion before he realizes what she was talking about.

"The falling sound? I don't know." He answers.

"Come on, Natsu! We should check it out!" Lucy exclaims, pulling Natsu's sleeve.

"Can't it wait? I'm hungry!" He whines. Lucy wacks his shoulder.

"No! Someone could need help!" She says. Natsu sighs.

"Fiiine." He sighs, letting Lucy pull him to where the noise came from.

"Well, I guess this is where we part. I'll be at the guild" Happy speaks when Lucy and Natsu march into the forest.

They go through the bushes and leaves, stepping over fallen over logs as the trudge deeper into the woods. As the trees gradually became less and less, clearing into a meadow, two lumps become apparent. They don't blend into the ground, and judging by all the broken branches, Lucy would say that the lumps weren't there before.

She cautiously went forward, coming closer to the lumps and finding it to be cloth. She nudged the cloth with her feet and heard a groan come from them. Natsu flipped the larger one over. It's a man. His gingerbread looking skin is covered in cuts and bruises. His clothes are battered and torn all over the place and his dark brown hair is disheveled and covered some of his face. His arms are around the other lump, probably another person. Lucy flipped the other lump over and gasped.

The other lumps is a boy. His milky skin is covered in bruises and scrapes and his clothes are tattered and torn like the other man's. His white hair is splayed behind his head like some sort of model. They both have caps on that are covered in holes and tears.

The older man has a spear attached to his back and the younger has a sword attached to his hip. Natsu and Lucy pick them up and start carrying them to the guild.

"Natsu, what are we going to do with them?" Lucy asks. Natsu shrugs.

"I guess we'll just give them to Mira." He replies. Lucy nods.

"Alright."

When the guild doors open, Gray stalks forward in his underwear, looking at Natsu threateningly and ignoring everyone else. Gray charges at Natsu, ready to knock heads, but Lucy stops him with a stern look.

"Gray! You can fight later, but right now we need to get these two to the infirmary." She exclaims. He grumbles under his breath before grabbing the older man's right arm and helping Natsu carry him to the infirmary.

They enter the room and place the cargo on some beds carefully, leaving the room and closing the door to protect them from the crazy about to go down.

Just seconds after the door closes, the guild erupts in loud noises and brawls, getting back to normal after the strange occurrence.

 **Updated** **as of Wednesday, August 16th, 2017**


	3. Chapter 3

Daryun P.O.V.

Daryun opened his eyes and winced at the blinding white light emitting from above where he lay. Squinting his eyes, he waited until they adjusted before opening them again, looking around curiously. As he tried to figure out how he got there, memories of the day before flooded back to him. He shot up to a sitting position and looked around for his charge. Spotting a lump in the bed next to him, Daryun let out a sigh of relief. He quietly swung his legs out of his bed and walked over to Arslan's, pulling a up a chair he found. As Arslan slumbered peacefully, Daryun put a protective hand on Arslan's hair.

Daryun views Arslan as a younger brother, though he would never admit it in fear of Arslan being used as ransom for him. Daryun knows he has a complex over Arslan, as he is more protective over him than he should be. Daryun promised himself that Arslan will always be number one in his life, no matter who else comes in. Arslan groans as he starts to wake up, moving onto his side slightly. Arslan's eyes flutter open and he smiles at Daryun before adopting a confused look on his face.

"Where are we?" Arslan yawns.

"I don't know. Go back to sleep, I'll keep watch until I can figure out where we are." Daryun answers, smiling. Arslan nods and closes his eyes again, snuggling back into the bed. Daryun sighs and looks at the door to the room he is in. After a few minutes of Arslan sleeping peacefully, Daryun hears a noise outside the door. He tilts his head to hear it better, and he tenses up, making sure his spear is within arms length. The door opens and a girl with blond hair and brown eyes walks in. When she looks up from what she is holding, she gasps and drops it.

"You're awake!" She exclaims. Daryun moves his hand closer to the spear, still on guard.

"Who are you and where are we?" Daryun demands. She jumps slightly, not expecting the harsh tone.

"You're in Fairy Tail."

"Where's that?"

"Magnolia."

"And where's that?"

"Earthland. How do you not know that?" Daryun is quiet for a few seconds.

"You still haven't told me who you are." He reminds her.

"Oh! Um, I'm Lucy Heartfilia. I'm a Celestial Spirit mage. Can I ask who you are?" Daryun is silent for a few more seconds before relaxing, deeming her safe.

"This is Prince Arslan of Pars and I am Daryun, his knight and protector."

"There is no Pars where we are." Lucy speaks up.

"That's impossible! We we're just there!" Daryun exclaims. "Besides, this 'Earthland' of yours doesn't exist!"

"Well, that's where we are now." Lucy says. Daryun's eyes widen.

"But that's impossible." He mumbles. "We're in a different world!"

"It's not that impossible. There's Edolas and the Celestial Spirit world." Lucy explains. Daryun sighs.

"Alright."

"Um, would you like to get some food?"

"Yes. Let me just wake up His Highness and we will follow you to you kitchen." Daryun turns his attention back to Arslan and shakes him gently.

"Your Highness, wake up. We're going to get some food." He says. Arslan groans and sits up.

"Okay." Arslan says and swings his legs off the bed. They walk out of the room and into the guild hall, Daryun hovering over Arslan's shoulder. Everyone falls silent at the sight of them. Arslan smiles slightly and waves at them. That brings everyone back to reality and they smile and greet the duo. Arslan sighs in relief of not being surrounded and they go to the bar. Daryun catches sight of Lucy as she leaves the guild, turning her head to face something before sighing and going out towards it. Drayun's attention is drawn by girl with white hair and blue eyes comes out of a door to the bar and comes up to Arslan and Daryun.

"Hello. I see you both are better. Would you like something to eat?" She asks. They nod and she smiles.

"I'm Mirajane, but please, call me Mira." She says.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mira. I am Prince Arslan and this is Daryun, my knight." Arslan greets back, smiling. Mira smiles back and makes them some food. Daryun glances around the guild hall, catching several people glance at them. He sighs. This is going to be a long stay.

 **Updated September 26th, 2017  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Arslan P.O.V.

Daryun and Arslan sit at the bar, quietly eating something called a 'donut', something that they don't have in Pars, when the guild doors open and a man with pink hair comes in with a flying blue cat.

"I'm back!" The pink haired man screams. There is a collective 'welcome back' in the guild, and a guy in his underwear marches up to the pink haired guy.

"Oi, Flamebrain! There's no need to make such loud noises. You don't have to yell every time you come in that door!" He yells. The pink haired man gets this red firey aura around him and the underwear man gets an icey blue one. They butt foreheads and start yelling insults at each other.

"Ice Breath!"

"Charcoal Breath!"

"Ice Princess!"

Lucy's head pops back into the guild, sighing when she sees the fighting duo. She walks over to the bar, waving to Arslan and Daryun and plopping down in a seat. Lucy asks for a strawberry smoothie and turns to Arslan.

"So, now that you have been awake for a little while, do you know how you got here? Natsu and I found you two out in a forest yesterday." Lucy asks, giving the duo a questioning look. Arslan shrugs his shoulders, wondering that himself.

"I do not know. We were exploring a forest and found some runes and then the ground fell out. Then we woke up here." Arslan explains.

"So you do come from another world! I had my suspicions when Daryun started talking about places that don't exist here, but you just confirmed my theory." Lucy says, sipping on her smoothie.

"What?" Daryun asks. "How can you be so calm about this?"

"Because I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage. The spirits come from another world, so why can't there be even more? Plus, we have already been to another one called Edolas." Lucy explains. Daryun and Arslan stare at her in amazement.

"That's cool!" Arslan exclaims. They continue talking until a table is thrown in their direction, making Arslan blink in surprise when it hits just above their heads. Daryun turns, demons in his eyes as he hunts for the person who threw it. To his surprise, half the guild is cowering in the back of the guild in a huddle while the other half are pointing to a blue haired man in his underwear.

"Gray, your clothes!" Mira exclaims. The man, Gray, looks down.

"Crap!" He exclaims, grabbing his clothes from where he discarded them on the ground and throwing them on. Arslan looks at him in confusion and Daryun goes to march up next to Gray, but Arslan stops him.

"Daryun, I am sure that Mr. Gray here did not mean to throw the table over in our direction. Right, Mr. Gray?" Arslan asks, giving him a look to go along with it unless he wants to die.

"Uh, yup! It was meant for… Uh… Flamebrain over there." Gray says, jerking a thumb in the direction the pink haired guy is in.

"What did you say, Droopy Eyes?" the pink haired man yelled.

"You heard me, Flame Breath!" Gray shouts. They start butting heads together, blue and red flames appearing around them as their anger increases. Arslan watches on in worry.

"Um, should they be doing that?" Arslan asks in concern. Lucy sighs and nods.

"They do it all the time. No one stops them, it's normal in this guild." She explains. Arslan nods in understanding.

"Oh, Okay. That makes sense, I guess. " He responds. Arslan takes a sip of something Mira placed in front of him called a 'smoothie' and looks around the guild. His face turns into one of confusion when Gray comes over to them completely naked.

"Excuse me sir, my I borrow your underwear?" He asks. Arslan stared at him in confusion while Daryun's eyes possess demons again. Daryun glares at Gray from behind Arslan, making sure that he can not see. Daryun grins in satisfaction when Gray runs away in fear and muttering something about him being 'scarier than Erza', whoever that was. The people that were huddled together nod in agreement and everyone looks over to the duo, surprised to find Daryun completely normal and checking on Arslan. Lucy stands up, saying she will be right back after she talks to Gray. Her seat is then taken by the pink haired man who stares at Arslan and Daryun weirdly.

"Hello, I'm Natsu Dragneel, nice to meet you." He said, sticking his hand out. Arslan takes it and gives him a handshake.

"I am Prince Arslan and this is my guardian, Daryun. Pleasure to meet you, too." Arslan introduces, sighing in relief when Natsu does not react to the prince title. Everyone talks more, some others coming over and introducing themselves, like the Erza girl, Gajeel, Levy, Laxus, much to many people's surprise, Elfman and Lisanna, Wendy, and the exceeds. When the exceeds came over, Arslan looked at them with curiosity before jumping when they started talking.

"It is nice to meet you, Arslan. I am Carla." The white one spoke. "This is Happy," She pointed to the blue cat. "And this is Pantherlily." She pointed to the black cat. Arslan had stared at them in shock.

"Your cats! And you- you can talk! Oh my!" Arslan had exclaimed. He dropped to his knees onto the floor, picking up Carla, who crosses her arms and huffs.

"Oh, you guys are adorable!" He said. Carla blushed slightly and dropped her arms when Arslan placed her on his knees.

"Highness, we should get to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow." Daryun reminded. Arslan sighed and put Carla back on her feet and stood up, walking over to Daryun's side.

"You're right, but where will we rest?" He asks. Daryun looks over to Mira for a place.

"Oh! You can sleep in the apartments on the field behind the guild. Come with me, I'll show you." She says. They follow Mira outside and into a building and she opens a door, revealing the inside.

"You can stay here. You will have access to everything you will need, plus the guild. Now, I will leave you on your own to get used to your surroundings. Good bye." She says, heading out of the building.

Daryun and Arslan watch her leave and then turn to look into the apartment. They step in and look around, finding a large room, a bathroom, and two bed chambers right next to each other. They go into one, finding two beds and sit on them.

"Go to sleep. You're going to need it." Daryun says. "I'll go to bed shortly. I have to make sure everything is set." Arslan sighs and nods, throwing his legs onto the bed and under the blankets."Goodnight, Daryun." Arslan yawns and closes his eyes, letting his tiredness overcome him.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryun P.O.V.

Daryun wakes up before the sun rises, as usual, and kicks his legs over the side of the bed and stands up, quietly walking over to the kitchen. He looked around curiously, spotting a big white rectangular box with handles in it. He opens it at the ready, not knowing what is inside. A light flicks on inside, surprising Daryun enough to make him jump slightly, but not much else. He made the mistake of looking directly into the light, not used to not being able to and quickly rips his eyes away, blinking away the colorful blotch now in his vision. He opens the door all the way, noticing it is already stocked with food. He makes a content sound and closes the door with a quiet popping sound.

Daryun looks around again, noticing a hollow part of the counters. Silver shines in the light, drawing Daryun over to it. He notices a long silver part in the middle of two shorter silver parts, sticking out over the hollow part. He takes one of the smaller parts and turns it, jumping at the water that comes rushing out. He turns it again, the other direction, and marvels at how it stops immediately. Turning it again, he leaves it on, watching as the water comes out in a never ending flow.

"Woah…" Daryun mutters, eyes full of curiosity. He turns it again, not wanting to waste the water incase it does run out, and turns. Cabinets, the weird cold box, the hallow dip with water, and tables. Nothing weird, just… different. Content with his discoveries, Daryun walks back over to his shared room and looks out a window, noticing the sun coming up. He sighs and walks over to the youngers bed, kneeling beside his prince.

"Your Highness, It is time to awaken. We have a full day ahead of us to try to figure out a way back." Daryun says, voice a little higher than a whisper. Arslan's eyes flicker open and Arslan groans, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"Good mornin', Daryun." Arslan mumbles, sitting up and becoming more awake. "Can we go back to the guild today?" Daryun smiles slightly, the one reserved specifically for Arslan.

"Of course, Your Highness. We can head out whenever you want." Daryun says. Arslan smiles and jumps off his bed, fixing his hair into a ponytail.

"Can we go now?" He asks.

"As you wish, Your Highness." Daryun smiles as Arslan brightens and runs over to the door, opening it.

"Come on, let's go!" Arslan exclaims, holding the door open. Daryun shakes his head in amusement and walks through the door. Arslan practically skips to the guild with Daryun trailing behind him. When he opens the door, everyone looks at them and smiles.

"Welcome back!" Several chorus. Arslan smiles at them, making several of the girls blush, much to Arslan's confusement. He ignores it though and sits at the bar, smiling at Mirajane. She smiles back and gives Daryun and Arslan something called a strawberry shake.

"So, what are you guys going to be doing today?" She asks them. Arslan shrugs.

"I do not know. Perhaps we could join someone in questing." He says. Mira smiles.

"Maybe. Oh hey Lucy, Natsu!" Mira says, waving over at the guild door. Lucy comes straight over while Natsu and Happy go over to the quest bored.

"Hey Mira, Arslan, Daryun. Natsu and I were just talking, and we wanted to know if you and Daryun would like to join us for a quest." Lucy asks, looking at Arslan. Arslan nods excitedly, but looks at Daryun, who nods at Arslan.

"We would love to!" Arslan says. Lucy smiles.

"Great! Well, Natsu should be here with Happy shortly with a quest we can do." Lucy speaks. She turns to Mira and also orders a 'strawberry shake', sipping it as we wait.

Natsu soon comes over with a flier in his hands, waving it happily. Happy sits on Arslan's lap, purring as Arslan scratches just behind his ear.

"I got us a job!" He announces, handing it over to Lucy, who reads it over quickly.

"This job would be great, especially because Arslan and Daryun accepted in joining us on this quest." Lucy says. Natsu smiles.

"Really? That's great. The more the merrier." He responds.

"What kind of quest is it?" Arslan asks, curiosity taking control.

"Well, in this quest we need to lure out a monster from out of the woods and kill him, but the towns people are saying that magic doesn't work on it. So we thought that we would ask you guys because of your coming from a different world and all, you might know how to kill it." Lucy responds. Arslan nods in understanding.

"Alright. Well, we can go whenever." Arslan tells them.

"Alright, let's go!" Natsu exclaims, dragging Arslan and Lucy by their hands, ignoring Daryun evil glare as he follows.


	6. Chapter 6

Arslan P.O.V.

The group had to board something called a 'train' for this mission, much to Natsu's displeasure. As soon as they boarded the thing he started looking queasy. They sat down on benches facing each other and with a blow of a whistle, the 'train' was moving. Arslan stared out the window in fascination of the land flying past them, and Daryun was looking around the train in wonder. _How could something made out of so much metal move so fast?_ When Arslan turned his attention back to his companions, he noticed Natsu looking sick.

"Are you okay?" Arslan asked, looking at Natsu in concern. Natsu nodded, struggling to hold a hand up in a thumbs up position. His other hand was held over his mouth to stop him from puking.

"He's fine. He's always like this when it comes to moving vehicles. He's just motion sick." Lucy tells him. Arslan nods.

"Oh, alright." Arslan speaks in understanding. Lucy smiles and pats Natsu's hair as he tried not to get too sick. Arslan looks around at the rest of team Natsu. Erza, Gray, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Daryun. He plucks Happy from the arm rest he was sitting uncomfortably on and put him in his lap.

"You looked uncomfortable." Arslan tells Happy when he gets a questioning look from said exceed. Happy nods and snuggles up to Arslan's chest before falling asleep. Arslan smiles and looks out the window to watch the trees pass by.

At the train's stopping for the third time, everyone got off. They went to find a hotel to put their belongings in before they started hunting down the forest monster. Most of the hotels that they came across were closed because no one wanted to stay in the town while the monster was there. Finally, they found an open hotel. It was somewhat run down with paint peeling off of it and wood chipping, but it would do. Lucy went up and checked them out a couple of rooms and came back with two keys.

"We are all going to be sharing a room because we will hardly be in them, but I have two keys because we will be dividing into two groups. Daryun, Gray, Erza, here is your key. Natsu, Arslan, your with me. Let's drop out stuff off and then search the forest. Nasty will shoot fire into the air if we come across him, Gray I want you to send some of your ice up to alert us if you find him first. Let's go." Lucy declares. The group nods and they follow Lucy to their room and put their stuff down by beds. Arslan walks over to Lucy and Natsu and Daryun goes over to Gray and Erza, but not before hesitating on leaving his prince with people they just met.

Gray notices this and assures Daryun that Arslan will be okay, Natsu and Lucy will protect him with everything they've got. Because, even though they just met, Arslan and Daryun are like family, and Family gets protected. Daryun sighs in relief and stands next to Gray with his spear in his hands.

"Daryun, if you don't mind me asking, why are you so protective over Arslan?" Gray asks. "I mean, I know you are his guard, but I have never met anyone overprotective as you are." Daryun sighs.

"I made a promise to my Uncle to protect Arslan no matter what, to put him in front of any other person or thing. He didn't grow up in a loving family. In fact, the first time he met his parents was when he was around the age of five. Before then he grew up with a nursemaid. Even after then, he still stayed with the nursemaid until he had about eight years. That's when he first started living in the with his parents in the castle. But they still hardly acknowledged him unless they absolutely needed too. So I am taking it upon myself to makeup for all the years of neglect by protecting him. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, he is like a little brother to me. No harm will ever come to him as long as I can help it." Daryun answers.

"Wow. That's… deep." Gray responds, his eyes wide. Daryun chuckles.

"I guess it is. But you wanted an answer." Gray laughs this time.

"I guess I should have expected it." As Gray and Daryun converse, Lucy is busy talking to Arslan, Natsu, and Happy.

"Okay guys, when we go into the forest, we can not separate. If we do, Arslan you need to stay with either me or Natsu because, if we find the monster, you won't be able to send a signal. Understand?" Lucy asks. Arslan nods.

"Alright, I understand. When are we gonna go, though?" Arslan asks. "It would be unwise to wait until nightfall because then it would have a better chance of finding us first." Lucy nods.

"Alright. Then we should head out today to get a headstart. We still have a few hours of daylight left before the sun starts to set." She says. Turning her head to be heard by the others, she talks in a louder voice.

"We should head out now! We can meet up in the room again at sunset." The others nod and the group heads out the door and to the forest.

Arslan, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy go to the East end of the forest while Gray, Daryun, and Erza go to the West end. The dark trees grew even darker the further from the town they went. Arslan was unperturbed by this, though Lucy started getting a little wary. As soon as they felt they were far enough from the town, they entered the forest in search for the monster.

"Alright everyone, be careful. The townspeople that are still there said that the monster is big and green and has horns on his head." Lucy tells them. Arslan nods, his eyes already scanning the forest area. At every noise, he becomes more on guard and ready to fight. Natsu and Happy start chatting away about something random, probably fish, making Lucy grow agitated.

"Stop talking! We're gonna get caught!" She exclaims. Just as she says that, an enraged roar shakes the forest. Arslan jumps at attention with his sword in his hands and cans the area quickly. A shimmer of light makes him jump out of the way of a projectile heading towards him.

"Lucy, Natsu, Happy! Lookos out!" Arslan yells. They look over to where he is looking and Lucy pulls out her keys, waiting. A giant green _thing_ emerges from out of the forest and stands angrily in front of the group. It swings up its arms and gets ready to hit but Lucy and Arslan jump out of the way just in time.

"Natsu! Create a ring of fire around him, see if that stops him!" Lucy commands, grabbing her wip and taking hold of the things shoulder. Natsu nods and cups his hands around his mouth, blowing through them and creating a circle of fire around the thing. It roars in frustration, looking for an exit. As it looked, Arslan readied his sword. The monster turned in a circle and when it couldn't find an exit, it roared again and charged through the fire and huffed when it felt nothing.

"It's not affected by magic…" Lucy remembers. "Dang it." Arslan's grip on his sword hardens and he raises it, running at the monster and slicing an arm off when it turned away from him. It growled in pain, gripping the stub of his shoulder. The arm that was cut off fell limply to the floor in front of Arslan. Noticing that the thing stopped it's charge to willow in pain,they started paying attention to their surroundings. Noticing Arslan suddenly swing around, Natsu and Lucy turned their heads, not noticing anything. They turned their heads back to face the monster and make sure it doesn't get away.

"Highness!" A voice similar to Daryun's cuts through the trees, enraging the monster again.

"Daryun!" Arslan yells back, readying his sword again and looking at the monster. Daryun and his group breaks through the trees and looks at the current situation, from the blood dripping from Arslan's sword to the monster and his missing arm, and then Daryun pulls out his spear and holds it at the ready, aiming at the monster.

The monster flares its nostrils and charges at Arslan, pin-pointing him for the cause of its pain. Arslan raises his sword and glances at Daryun, giving him permission. Daryun nods slightly, being the only one who notices it. As the monster is focused on Arslan, Daryun goes from behind and throws his spear, hitting the monster right where its heart is. Arslan also stabs it in the stomach, causing the monster to collapse on the floor with a howl of agony. Blood spilled from its body, leaking faster when Arslan and Daryun remove their weapons. They look at the monster and then at each other, smiling, knowing that they just did something nobody in their world would believe.


	7. Chapter 7

Daryun's P.O.V.

On the way back to the guild, Lucy held their reward as they, the whole of Team Natsu, laughed and joked together about nothing and everything and things in between. Finally they started talking about the quest.

"How did you guys do that? You were like 'slice' and the monster was like 'waaah' and then you could tell that Daryun and Erza and Gray were there but we couldn't and then when they got out of the forest you looked at each other and were like 'yeah we have a plan, let's do it' and then you were like 'cut' and Daryun was like 'stab' and you killed the monster!" Natsu exclaims. Erza rolls her eyes and Arslan giggles.

"We have been fighting together for a while now. We know each other well enough to give each other looks like that and know what we are talking about. Like right now, Daryun is thinking about practicing with his spear with Narsus' paintings." He says. Daryun smirks.

"Heaven knows they deserve worse than my spear." He says. Arslan smiles.

"They sure are… something." He responds. Lucy looks at them in confusion.

"Just how bad are they?" Gray asks the question that was on Lucy's mind.

"Everytime I see one I feel like a thousand swords are stabbing my eyes." Daryun deadpans. Lucy sweat drops.

"Oh hehe… he." She laughs nervously. They got to the train station to Fiore and Natsu started paling before he even boarded. As soon as they boarded and the train started moving, Natsu became green.

"It's okay Natsu. It'll pass soon enough." Arslan sympathises. Natsu gives him a shaky smile before immediately almost puking again. Daryun sighs and leans back in his seat. _This is gonna be a long ride_ he thinks.

When the train stops and Natsu gets out, he practically kisses the ground in happiness. Arslan and happy giggle and Lucy and Gray groan.

"Come on, we should get back to the guild. We need to turn in the flier to master and tell him we completed it." Lucy explains. Arslan nods.

"Alright. Lead the way."

Before they even opened the door, they could hear a fight happening in the guild. Lucy sighs and opens the door, moving out of the way of a flying table with practised ease. The table crashes against Natsu, who instantly joins in the fight and hits Gray, who hits Erza, making the fight escalate quickly. Arslan and Daryun slink against the walls towards the bar and sit down on the stool.

"Hey guys, welcome back. Would you like anything?" Mira asks.

"Thank you. Could we both have a… what's it called… 'milkshake'?" Arslan asks. He knows that both he and Daryun liked them the last time.

"Of course! One minute." She gives them a warm smile. As she is turned away, a cup comes flying and hits her head, although the only thing that seems affected by it is her now slightly ruffled hair.

"Here you go, Arslan, Daryun. Enjoy." Mira says, giving them their milkshakes. Arslan thanks her and watched the guild fight. Whenever some projectile comes towards either of them, they move out of the way.

"Excuse me, Daryun and Arslan?" They look over at Master Makarov in front of them.

"Yes?" Arslan asks, tilting his head.

"Well, since you two have been on a quest and have helped Team Natsu, _and_ you have participated in one or two guild fight, would you like to join?" He asks. Arslan brightens up and looks at Daryun with a hopeful look in his eyes, checking if he wants to as well. Daryun nods and Arslan turns back to Makarov.

"Of course! We would be honored to join the guild, Master Makarov. That is, if you would have us." Arslan responds. Makarov nods.

"Alright. Mira, would you get the stamp for us?" He asks, looking over at Mira who is cleaning a cup. She nods and puts the cup down, then goes into the back to grab the stamp. When she returns, a large brown box looking stamp is in her hands.

"Alright. What color do you want and where would you like it?" She asks sweetly.

"Could I have it any color of blue and on my hand?" Arslan asks. Mira nods.

"Of course." She positions it above Arslan's hand. "Are you sure? Once I place it, it is final." She says. Arslan nods. She smiles and presses it down on Arslan's hand. He feels a slight stinging and when she pulls the stamp away, a cerulean colored guild mark is on his hand. Mira looks over at Daryun and smiles.

"What color and where?" She asks. He thinks for no more than a few seconds before responding.

"A dark purple color, and on my shoulder, if you will." He responds. She smiles and moves it over to his shoulder and looks at him, silently asking if he's sure. He nods and she presses it down, leaving the slight stinging around the mark. When she removes it, a raisin colored guild mark is on his shoulder.

"Thank you." Arslan and Daryun thank her. She smiles.

"It was no problem!" She exclaims. Arslan turns to thank Makarov but notices he's gone. Arslan shrugs and starts conversing with Daryun and Mira.

"Listen up you brats!" A voice cuts through the fight. The entire guild looks up to the second floor rail where it came from. There, on the railing, was Master Makarov.

"I have received many complaints from towns, again, from where the quests have come from, about destroyed buildings and such." He says, his voice full of disappointment. "But. That doesn't matter! We should celebrate for two new members in the guild!" He points to Daryun and Arslan. A hush falls over the guild and then it erupts in cheers and welcomes. Team Natsu comes over to them and Natsu pats Arslan's back, making him grab the stool he was sitting on as to not fall off.

"Congrats, guys." He says. Arslan smiles.

"Thank you, Natsu." Arslan responds.

"Hey, now that you are part of the guild officially, would you like to also join Team Natsu officially?"

"Really? Are you sure?"

"Of course! Right guys? They can join right?" Natsu turns to Lucy, Happy, Gray, and Erza.

"I see no problem with it." Erza says.

"Eh, why not? You guys helped a lot with that last job anyway." Gray says, smirking.

"Of course they can join. There isn't a rule that says we can't have anymore." Lucy replies.

"They are nice, they give me fish." Happy adds. Natsu turns back to Arslan and Daryun with a grin.

"See?" He says. Daryun nods.

"Alright, we will join." Daryun says. So Team Natsu grew again.


	8. Chapter 8

Daryun P.O.V.

It has been a month since Daryun and Arslan have joined Team Natsu. So far they have enjoyed it. Their non magical ways have really helped the team realise that you don't need magic for everything you do. Anyway, when Daryun woke up that morning, he felt like something was wrong. Specifically with Arslan, thanks to his sixth sense. Daryun looked over at Arslan and couldn't see anything wrong with him. Daryun frowned and got out of his bed. He walked over to Arslan's bed and saw a light pink flush on Arslan's paler than normal face.

"Your Highness?" Daryun askes carefully, shaking the prince slightly. When Arslan only stirred, Daryun's frown increased, as did his worry. He gently put his hand on Arslan's forehead, his stomach twisting and turning in worry. Daryun pulled his hand away. Arslan only groaned, almost whining at the loss of the cool contact. Arslan's eyes cracked open slightly but his eyes were out of focus.

"Daryun?" He croaked, his voice hoarse and cracking at the end. Daryun grabs a cup of water and sits the prince up, putting the top of the cup to Arslan's lips. He tips the water into Arslan's mouth and rubs slow circles in Arslan's back with his thumb. When all the water is gone, Daryun put the cups down on a side table and lays Arslan back down, putting the blankets over him.

"Get some rest, Highness. You're ill. I shall go get Mira so that she can help." Daryun informs. Arslan nods groggily and his eyes flutter shut. Daryun sighs, his concern about to bubble over and take control. He stands up and walks over to the door, opening it and freezing in the doorway. He glances back at Arslan slumbering peacefully and breaths out, then closes the door behind him. He walks over to the guild and pushes the guild doors open. Everyone is silenced when they glance at the guild doors and only see Daryun with an aura of worry covering him like a cloak.

With a stormy look on his face, Daryun takes hurried steps into the guild and over to the bar, ignoring the people jumping out of his way. He stands next to his usual stool and hits a small bell on the counter, getting Mira to come over almost immediately.

"Hello, Daryun. What can I help you with? And where's Arslan?" She asks.

"His Highness is ill. I have come to ask you of your assistance." Daryun speaks. Mira nods, and walks out from behind the bar.

"Okay, let me get a bucket of water and a cloth and then I will join you back out here and you can guide me to your room." Mira says and walks over to the medical room. She comes back out with a bucket filled with ice cold water and a dry cloth in hand.

"Alright, let's go." She says. Daryun stalks out of the room with Mira on his trail and goes to his room. When he opens the door, he motions for Mira to be quiet as they enter.

"His Highness is asleep and I would prefer it to stay that way. He has not been getting all the sleep he should be with us constantly on the move." He said. Mira nods in understanding. They walk over to Arslan's bed and Mira kneels down, putting the bucket on the floor silently. She dips the cloth into it and wrings it out. She folds it and places it on Arslan's forehead. Arslan sighs and seems to try to lean into the cold item on his forehead.

"How long has he been like this?" Mira asks.

"I do not know. I woke up this morning and felt like something was wrong. When I looked over at His Highness, I could not see anything wrong, but where we live, you learn to trust your instincts, so I checked, and then I found out he is ill and went to call you." Daryun responds. Mira nods.

"Alright. Every twenty minutes or so you should replace the water in the cloth. In about two hours you should check to see if his temperature has gone down. If not, give him a cold bath and then lay him down again with the cloth." Mira directs. Daryun nods his thanks and watches as Mira leaves quietly. Daryun sighs and plops down onto a chair he pulled close to the bed. He watches Arslan doze on the bed, looking a little bit better without the sick, heated look to his face.

Time seemed to inch by at a crawl. Daryun spent most of it worrying over Arslan, hoping his illness doesn't take a turn for the worse. By the time two hours rolled around, Daryun was practicing with his spear in the mostly empty area of their shared bedroom. Daryun glances up at the clock, sweat rolling down his face, and put his spear down on a bedside table. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and wiped the sweat off of his face before he walked over to the bed Arslan was occupying

"Your Highness?" Daryun whispered. He put his hand on Arslan's shoulder and shook him gently. "Your Highness? Are you awake?" Arslan gave a groan and his eyes fluttered open.

"Daryun?" Arslan questions. Daryun smiles fondly.

"Good morning, Your Highness. Are you feeling better?" Daryun asks. Arslan groans and nods.

"Mm-hmm. Little warm, though."

"Alright, Highness. I will take a few blankets off, but it would be wise of you to keep the bottom one on, alright?"

"Okay." Arslan snuggles back into the bed as Daryun takes off some of the blankets. Already, Arslan felt better.

"Alright, Your Highness. You should go back to sleep. Your gonna need it if you want to get back to peak condition." Daryun explains. Arslan nods and closes his eyes.

"Alright, Goodnight, Daryun." He says. Sleep washes over him like a wave, and in no time at all, he is out like a light. Daryun sighs and sits down on his bed. He looks over at Arslan once more and turns out the light, ready to go to sleep.

The next morning, Daryun awoke at his usual time. He stood up and stretched before walking over to the other bed and placing his calloused hand on Arslan's forehead. His fever was gone, like it had vanished overnight, or never even been there. Daryun let out a breath of relief. Thankfully, Arslan's recovery had gone smoothly and nothing catastrophic had happened to the young prince. Daryun took his hand off and backed away. He grabbed his spear and started practicing while he waited for Arslan to wake up.

Arslan's eyes flicked open and closed immediately after as he winced at the sudden attack of light. He blinked a few times to get used to the light change and he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He sat up and stretched his arms before looking around for Daryun. It wasn't that hard to spot him, though, as he was in the middle of the room with his spear.

"Good morning, Daryun." Arslan voice rang out, interrupting Daryun's thoughts. Daryun put down his spear and joined Arslan at the side of his bed.

"Your Highness. I trust you are feeling well now?" Daryun asks. Arslan nods.

"Yes. After a good night's rest I feel better." He responds. Arslan swings his legs over the side of the bed and puts his feet on the cold wooden floor.

"Daryun, could we go to the guild today?" Arslan asks. Daryun nods.

"Of course, Your Highness. We can go right away if you wish." Daryun responds. Arslan smiles.

"Alright." He stands up and heads to the door, leaving the room with Daryun and heading to the guild hall.

As soon as they enter the guild, dozens of faces turn towards them. Mira must have told them what happened, because several of them come up to Arslan and ask how he feels. Arslan, somewhat surprised by this, answers with the same thing everytime. Daryun walks up behind Arslan and puts a hand on his shoulder, telling the other people to move out of the way so that they can get to where they are going. Daryun smiles at them once they move and guides Arslan to the table Team Natsu has claimed as their own.

"Hey, Arslan! Mira told us what happened. Are you all better now?" Natsu asks, giving Arslan his toothy smile.

"Yeah, I am alright. I believe it was just an illness that affected people for a day." He responds.

"Well that's good. Being sick isn't fun, at all." Lucy says.

"Well, now that your better, how about we look for a job?" Natsu asks.

"Natsu! He just got better! Can you lay off him for, maybe, a day?" Lucy exclaims, waking Natsu's head.

"Ow!" Natsu yelps. Arslan giggles at their playful banter and smiles.

"How about, tomorrow, first thing, you can pick out a job for us, Natsu?" Arslan suggests.

"That's a great idea!" Natsu yells.

"Keep it down, Flamebrain!" Gray says, his shirt already off.

"You keep it down, Ice Princess!" Natsu retorts.

"Charcoal Breath!"

"Ice for brains!"


	9. Chapter 9

Arslan P.O.V.

"Arslan, Daryun, have you guys ever been to an arcade?" Lucy suddenly asks one day.

"What is an 'arcade'?" Arslan asks.

"Arcades are places where you go and you can play games and win prizes and it's really fun!" Natsu explains, jumping into the conversation. Arslan looks at him confused.

"Besides, you guys never go anywhere except for when we drag you out to go on jobs." Gray says.

"Drag us? No one has ever _dragged_ us." Daryun says, confused.

"It's a figure of speech." Lucy explains. Daryun and Arslan nod.

"You guys deserve a break." Erza says.

"Aye, sir!" Happy agrees.

"Alright. This world truly is really different from ours." Arslan says.

"Let's go!" Natsu exclaims. He grabs Lucy's hand, making a chain reaction of her grabbing Gray's, who grabs Erza's, who grabs Arslan's, who grabs Daryun's. The line of people left the guild with Happy flying next to them.

"This 'arcade' is bigger than I first thought." Arslan says, looking up at the tall building.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go inside!" Lucy exclaims. Arslan nods.

"Alright." He says. He follows the group inside with Daryun trailing behind him. Flashing, colored lights and noises coming from seeming everywhere surprise both Daryun and Arslan.

"Woah…" Arslan says, eyes full of wonder. Even Daryun looks impressed.

"How are all the lights different colors? And where is the music coming from?" Daryun asks, looking around.

"Well, the lights are a kind of light magic that doesn't require much magic, but is still really cool. They cast the magic and the lights go on, multiple colors and shine on the place." Lucy explains. "And the music is coming from the games people are playing."

"Oh.. Alright." Daryun says, nodding even though he still doesn't quite get everything.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Play!" At that everyone split up, except Arslan and Daryun. They stuck together and looked around the place, surprised by all the people playing. They look at each other in surprise and then Arslan shrugs.

"Well, we should look around." He says. Daryun nods.

"I believe that would be the best course of action." He says. Arslan looks around once more before taking a step closer to one of the unoccupied boxes. He walks up to it and stares at the blank, black box in front of him, wondering what to do.

"Highness, look at all these buttons. I wonder, what would they do?" Daryun asks. Arslan looks down at all the buttons and shrugs.

"I do not know." He says. Daryun hesitantly puts his hand above one of the buttons.

"Shall I… press it?" He asks, unsure if he should. Arslan nods. Daryun's hand wavers before he presses down and takes his hand off quickly. The once black screen comes to life and color flicks across the box. Music tumbles out of the box making both Daryun and Arslan jumps in surprise. A blocky looking character stands in the box, bouncing at his knees up and down over and over again.

"What?" Arslan asks to no one, bewildered at the sudden change.

"This is strange." Daryun says. Arslan looks back down at the buttons and presses another one, jumping when the box makes another glances back up at the top box and sees the character had moved. Now, more blocky looking things comes flying at the character. As they hit it, a red bar in the corner goes down more and more. When the bar emptied completely the character fell onto its back and flashed off of the screen. Giant, red letters came onto the center of the screen.

"Game over." A voice said from the box. Arslan poked the box.

"What happened?" He asks Daryun.

"I do not know." He says. Daryun looks back at the buttons and presses the same one he pressed before and smiled triumphantly when the box reset itself.

"What are you two doing?" Lucy asks, coming from behind them. Arslan moves out of the way so that she can see.

"We found an unoccupied box and came over to it, but we did not know how to use it. So Daryun pressed a button that brought this up onto the box and i pressed another button that made block things fly towards the little person, but then a red bar in the corner went down all the way and the person fell onto his back." Arslan explains. Lucy laughs.

"Well, this is not a box, it is a gaming system. The screen with the little person is where you look to see what they are doing, and the buttons are what you press to make your character do things." Lucy explains. "Here, watch." She walks up to the gaming system and presses a button, starting the game. Arslan and Daryun watch in awe as she expertly makes the tiny person jump and hit the things flying at them.

"The goal of the game is to not die." She says. She moves from the controls and back to beside Daryun and Arslan.

"Now you try." Lucy speaks and walks away. Daryun cautiously takes a step forward and presses the buttons, making the character jump up. He looks at Arslan who shrugs, and then goes back to pressing buttons, taking turns with Arslan.

At the end of the day, Arslan and Daryun are starstruck about the games.

"I wish we had those in our world." Arslan says. "It is a fun way to pass the time."

"It is." Daryun agrees. They walk back from the arcade with Team Natsu, laughing as Natsu talks about someone he met while playing a fire mage game.


	10. Chapter 10

Arslan P.O.V.

Master Makarov stood on the second floor's railing with his hands behind his back and a stern-ish look on his face.

"Listen up!" He yelled. Everyone quieted down. "The Grand Magic Games are coming up, and we are participating!" He announced. Most of the guild was cheering and it took a while to finally calm down completely. Master Makarov fixed the guild with a serious look before continuing on.

"I want everyone to go and train for the games. I do not know yet who I will pick to actually compete, but it is best for everyone to be in their top conditions just in case! Daryun, Arslan, I know you just joined and don't actually have any magic that we know of, but you should train as well." They nodded in agreement.

"Get started!" Master Makarov yelled again. He climbed down from the railing as the guild bubbled back into louder chatter.

"Hey, Daryun, Arslan. We are planning on training together as a team with a few others but we wanted to make sure you guys were okay with it first." Lucy says, appearing beside them. Arslan nods.

"It would be our pleasure to train with friends." Daryun says. Lucy nods and smiles.

"Great! I'll tell Natsu and then we can get everyone and head out." Lucy announces. Arslan and Daryun nod and watch as Lucy leaves. She comes back a few minutes later with a group of people behind her and smiles.

"Alright. Let's pack and then meet in front of the guild in two hours." She says. Everyone nods and breaks of, going to their houses to pack.

With their backpacks packed, Arslan and Daryun walk back to the front of the guild, happy to spot Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Gray, and Erza already there. Behind everyone was a small backpack of their things, except for Erza. She had a wagon overflowing with all her luggage in suitcases and bags, though some was spilling out it stayed on the wagon.

"Erza, are you sure you need everything that you have with you?" Arslan asks. Erza nods fiercely.

"You will never know what you might need on trips." She answer. Arslan looks up at Daryun confused, but shrugs it off.

"Alright. Is everyone ready?" Lucy asks, turning to face the group once everyone has arrived. Everyone nods and a few spaced out answers are heard.

"Great! Let's go!" And they walk from the front of the guild, ready to train.


	11. Chapter 11

Daryun P.O.V.

The teams finally arrived at their destination and they all smiled, looking at the water crashing against the sand. Daryun looked over and saw Arslan's look of amazement and wonder as he stared at the beach.

"Your Highness, we need to buy what they call 'bathing suits' to go into the water." Daryun reminds him before Arslan can run into the water.

"Of course. Where do we buy them?" Arslan asks.

"I can take you! I need a bathing suit anyway." Wendy says. Carla nods beside her.

"I give you my thanks." Arslan says, smiling.

"It's no problem." Wendy replies. She and Carla go in front of Arslan and Daryun and lead them away to a store to buy the bathing suits. Once inside, Arslan and Daryun look around.

"I was not expecting so many pairs of 'bathing suits'." Daryun ponders.

"Well, for a beach store, there actually is less than normal. Besides, they have other things like sweaters, hats, necklaces, some foods too. Now, let's pick out your bathing suits." Carla says. Daryun and Arslan nod. Wendy nods at Carla and leaves in a different direction, probably picking out her own bathing suit, and Carla leads the two men to the men's section. Arslan gravitated towards the lighter colors and Daryun to the darker, but the never really leave each other line of sight.

Daryun goes through the hanging bathing suits, grabbing onto a black pair and showing them to Carla.

"Are these good?" He asks. Carla nods.

"Now let's see what Arslan has chosen." She says, leading Daryun over to where Arslan went. Arslan is holding a light blue pair.

"I was just about to look for you. How about these?" He asks, holding them in front of him.

"Those are lovely. Now let's find Wendy, buy the bathing suits, and join the others in training." Carla says. She leads the duo over to the girls section and spots Wendy looking over a couple of bathing suits before choosing one and putting the other back.

"Hi Carla, Arslan, Daryun. Are you guys ready?" Wendy asks as she looks up and spots the group.

"Yes, we are just waiting for you." Arslan answers. Wendy nods.

"Well, I'm done now so let's go!" She says, going over to the counter and putting her bathing suit on it. Arslan and Daryun follow her lead and watch as the person behind the desk goes through the items and puts the prices together.

"Are you in a guild?" He asks, looking at them. Wendy nods.

"Yes, we are all part of Fairy Tail. We're here to train for the grand magic games." She answers. The person nods.

"Alright, discount. Because you are going to need all your money for food and such, you can have these for free. Just spread news of my store around, alright?" They say. Wendy nods, smiling.

"Thank you! We will be sure to advertise." She says. She picks up all the bathing suits, hands them to their owners, and then runs into a room to get dressed. Arslan and Daryun do the same, and soon they are all ready to start training.

The group walks back onto the beach with their previous cloths in their arms and set them down in a small pile. Wendy ran off with Carla to the water, splashing around with her.

"Hey guys! Now that you have your bathing suits, are you going to start training or relax first?" Lucy asks, walking over to them in her white bikini with a small pink heart on the top. Arslan and Daryun's eyes widen considerably and they turn around.

"Um, Lucy, are you aware you are walking around in just your undergarments?" Arslan asks.

"These are not 'undergarments' as you put it. It's a bathing suit, a bikini. Many girls wear them. It's quite normal for these to be seen around beaches. You can turn back around." She says with a giggle.

"The only other woman I have seen in so little attire was Farangis." Arslan says, reluctantly turning around.

"I know what you mean, Sire. It is quite unusual. You say people walk around like that normally?" Daryun asks.

"Of course!" Lucy answers.

"Oh. Alright, I guess." Arslan says.

"Alright, so now that you have gotten over your cultural shock, what are you going to do?" Lucy asks.

"I do not know." Arslan asks, looking at Daryun.

"Alright then, come with me." Lucy says. She leads the two over to the ocean and walks in, leaning down to wet her hands. She waits until Arslan and Daryun are just behind her to quickly take her hands out and splash them, giggling at their surprised expressions. She walks further into the water until it reaches her shoulders and starts swimming around. Daryun and Arslan carefully tread into the water. They look at each other and smile before Arslan splashes Daryun. Daryun laughs and splashes Arslan back, and pretty soon a splash war starts between the entire Team Natsu.

Eventually, when everyone is drenched and their cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling, they decide to start training. They wad out of the water and go to do their own thing, Daryun and Arslan training with their sword and spear, Lucy with her spirits, Natsu with his fire dragon slayer magic, Juvia with her water magic, Erza practicing with swords, Gray using his ice magic, and Wendy reading something with Levy's encouragement. They practice for hours before deciding they should be done for the day. They head back to the Akane Inn to eat and sleep, doing the same thing the next day.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Arslan P.O.V.

This day started like any other. The training team woke up, ate, changed into their bathing suits, and went to the beach to train. Daryun and Arslan start stretching together before pulling out their swords and parrying. A small flash of light makes Arslan and Daryun turn and get their weapons at the ready, pointing at where the light came from. When it fades, a girl in a maids outfit with pink hair is standing there, Lucy on her head.

"Watch where you pop up, Virgo!" Lucy scolds. Virgo keeps her straight face on.

"Punishment, Princess?" 'Virgo' asks. Lucy sweat drops.

"No, Virgo." She responds. Levy steps closer to Virgo, a curious but worried look on her face.

"Is something wrong, Virgo?" She asks. Virgo's face turns sullen.

"The Celestial World is on the brink of destruction. We could really use Fairy Tail's help right now." She answers. Shock fills the silence.

"We need to go to the Spirit World and the Celestial Spirit King will catch you up about it." Virgo says. The group nods.

"Of course. Anything we can do to help." Lucy says. A minuscule smile graces Virgo's face. She holds her hands out and a golden circle appears beneath the group. A bright beacon like light erupts from the circle, engulfing them. They fall through the hole and Daryun grabs onto Arslan like he is trying to protect him even though he wouldn't be able to do much from falling. Somehow, as though listening to Daryun's thought to keep them safe, they all land on their feet. Everyone is in different clothes than they were on the beach.

Arslan is wearing a princely outfit, a crown lying crookedly on top of his head and his sword in a hilt on his belt. Daryun wore his knight clothes, his spear attached to his back and his helmet sitting comfortably on his head. Lucy and Natsu wore matching outfits, blue with golden accents. Gray and Levy wore somewhat matching as well, green with white accents, although Levy also had some yellow and orange. Juvia wore a white feathery-ish outfit with blue accents. Erza wore a dark blue bikini looking thing that was covered on the sides by a green dress the came together at her bellybutton and split apart again an inch or two below it. Wendy wore a pink and purple kimono tied closed with a dark blue cloth. Carla and Happy wore cute little outfits that looked like lord and lady outfits.

"Celestial Spirit King!" Lucy exclaims, bringing Arslan and Daryun's attention to a giant blue man with a mustache in front of them. " Is it true your world is on the brink of destruction?"

A beat of silence before he smiles.

"Smile!" He says. Lucy looks confused. "My dear friends, I have requested of your presence so that we may embark of your wonderful reappearance from the prison of time. Now, let us celebrate!" He announce. All of what seem to be Lucy's spirits appear next to the group. Lucy turns to Virgo, confused more now than before.

"I thought you were facing destruction!" She says. Virgo smiles.

"I lied." Virgo says. With that the party starts. People and spirits dance, scarf down food, and mingle with each other. The spirits start to seem unnaturally drawn to Arslan, but no one seems to notice. They are all startled when the Kings booming voice fills the area.

"You know Lucy, there have been many celestial spirit mages, but you are the first I have brought to this world." He says. Gray gets an impressed look on his face and pats Lucy's back.

"Congratulation." He says. Lucy smiles back at him.

"But, two of the people that have been brought here seem to be carrying a strange power." The King speaks again. He scans the group before his gaze lands on Arslan and Daryun. "Those two. They possess a power not of your world, but at the same time it is."

"What does that mean? What do you mean Arslan and Daryun have a strange power? Last we knew they weren't even magic!" Lucy asks. The King smiles.

"Well, the young prince, see how the spirits are drawn to him? Even myself? Well that can mean one of a couple things. One: He is a celestial spirit mage. But that doesn't happen to celestial spirit mages, so that is out. Two: He is my heir. I knew We would see him some day, but I never imagined it would be so soon! So, rejoice my friends! The Celestial Spirit Prince is home!" The King announces.

"What?!" They shout. Arslan turned paler than normal.

"What do you mean he is the Celestial Spirit Prince? How is that possible?" Lucy asks.

"Well, you see, a long time ago I wasn't happy with being the only person to help rule over the spirits, so I sent out the strongest piece of my soul, with the help of some other spirits, to find a new host to be the Celestial Spirit Prince and help me rule over the spirits. Your friend Arslan seems to have been the one to receive it." The Celestial Spirit King explains. "Arslan is the only one who can summon me at no cost because of his ability as my heir."

Arslan nods.

"It makes sense now." He says, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "I knew something was wrong. I look nothing my my Lady Mother or Lord Father. I do not even act like them. I grew up with a nursemaid until I had five years of age, and then I was brought into the castle. It was like they did not know I existed." He says. Daryun nods, sullenly.

"It is true, His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen look nothing like his highness." He says. The Celestial Spirit King nods.

"That is because he took the manifestation of what I would have looked like if I was human mixed with the mother I chose." He explains. They nod in understanding.

"I can't do much for you, Arslan, but I can give you your first spirits." The Celestial Spirit King says. He holds out one of his hands and forms a fist like he's holding something and a key ring appears in his hand with several different colored rings on it. The Team watched in amazement as the Celestial Spirit King let go of the key ring and it slowly dove into Arslan's hands.

"Arslan this is so exciting!" Lucy exclaims. "Some of these keys are some I've never seen before!"

"It's so light." Arslan says, pulling it up and down with his hand as if he was weighing it. With fourteen keys on it, Arslan was expecting it to be heavier. Thirteen of the keys were a jade color, and a singular red key looked out of place.

"The jade ones are the Chinese Zodiac. The red key is for the keeper spirits. The jade key Zodiac are like the golden key Zodiac. The keeper spirits are… different than other spirits. They have pocket dimensions you can use as well as their own defensive magic. They rarely trust anyone except for their key holders, but even then they are kind of iffy. I chose to give you this one's key because she has been without a key holder for too long, and I think you would do her good." The Celestial Spirit King explains, noting Arslan curious look at they keys. Arslan looks up at him and smiles.

"Thank you, Spirit King." He says. The Celestial Spirit King smiles at him before turning his attention towards Daryun.

"You, knight, also have strange powers. You have an advanced sword magic, the ability to any sword, dagger, knife, spear, bow and arrows, or anything like that at will. You can summon multiple at once. I am sure you guys will be able to get the help and training you would need from your guild mates." The Celestial Spirit King says. "I have the ability to unlock your powers, and it would be immediate, but it would hurt. I do not wish that on you, but the other way is more painful." Arslan and Daryun nod.

"Alright. When do we start?" Arslan asks. The Celestial Spirit King reaches down and touches Arslan and Daryun's foreheads. A bright light erupts from them and when it dies down, Arslan and Daryun are standing there with pained looks on their faces, but they slowly go away as they get used to the pain. The guild members become aware of a sudden intense power radiating off of their new members.

"Well, now that you and Daryun are all powered up, we should get back to the beach and start training again!" Natsu exclaims after a few seconds. Virgo shuffles a bit.

"I probably should have told you this before we got here, but time in our world and your world flows a little bit different." She says.

"What? Does it go faster? I bet a year in your world is like a day in ours!" Natsu exclaims.

"If that's the case, we should do all our training here." Gray agreed.

"Not… quite. It goes slower." Virgo says. "A say in our world is the equivalent of three months in your world." As soon as she finished talking, the group was transported back onto the beach. The group stood there on the beach, the waves crashing being the only sound along with the seagulls. They were still wearing their spirit world clothes, but they didn't notice. Jet and Droy came running up to them.

"Hey, where were you guys? Well, it doesn't matter. I hope that wherever you were you got training done."

"It's all over." Natsu, Gray, and Erza said at the same time before collapsing onto their stomachs in the sand. Wendy started crying and Lucy turned her face to the sky.

"No way! Give us back our time, Mustache Face!" She yells as the group sulks. Erza suddenly stood up, a red fire surrounding her.

"It's not to late! We still have five days left to train!" She starts to plan it all out with Natsu. A pigeon came flying when no one was paying attention. Arslan noticed it, his eyes used to picking up flying creature because of Azrael. Arslan held his arm out and the pigeon landed on it. Daryun noticed and turned to face the pigeon, noticing a letter tied to it. He took it off the pigeons leg and unrolled it as Arslan pet the pigeon.

"Hey guys!" Arslan calls. The group look at him and Daryun, noticing the letter Daryun is holding in his hands. They surround the two newly discovered mages and read the letter.


	13. Chapter 13

Arslan P.O.V.

Arslan stroked the bird as Daryun read the note out load to the group. They adopted varying looks of confusion or surprise.

"Well, we should go check it out." Erza suggested. The group nodded and followed Erza as she led them to where the letter said to meet. When they got there all that was there was a broken rope bright and a large gap between the two pieces of land.

"It must be a prank." Rang out from the group. Lucy nodded in agreement.

"We should head back." She said. Just as the team turned to leave, the bridge fixed itself.

"The person we're dealing must be on the other side. Let's get crossing!" Natsu yelled after a beat of silence, punching his hand. Lucy looked at Gray and smirked.

"Sure is." Gray answered. He pushed Natsu, making him stumble onto the bridge. Natsu hopped on one foot, trying to regain his balance and stopped midway and held onto the rope.

"That was mean!" He exclaimed. Soon after he started getting a green tint to his skin.

"Are you really getting sick from a freaking bridge?" Gray asked. Natsu found new determination and ran the rest of the way across the bridge. When he made it, he spun around and started waving his arms in the air.

"I did it!" He exclaimed.

"Huh. I thought for sure that that thing would collapse as soon as someone stepped onto it." Lucy said.

"Hey!" Natsu exclaimed from across the bridge. Lucy shrugged.

"Well, let's cross!" She exclaims. The team follows her across the bridge and they follow a path, not knowing where it will lead. The group stopped walking when three cloaked figures entered their vision at the end of the forest. Erza made sure no one went forward, and the cloaked figures ended going to them. They stopped right in front of the group and took of their hoods, revealing a man with blue hair a red mark under his left eye, a girl with dark purple hair, and a girl with pink hair. Everyone except Arslan and Daryun seemed shocked at who they were.

Eventually, Daryun and Arslan found out that the blue haired man is named Jellal, the pink haired girl is named Meredy, and the dark purple haired girl is named Ultear. Jellal had broken out of prison, but is not their enemy, and neither are the other two. They said that they want to help the team with advancing their magic powers by unlocking a second magic origin.

"That would be really helpful. Thank you!" Lucy exclaims.

"It's no problem. Follow us, we'll take you somewhere where we can start." Ultear says. She leads the group to a cabin where she starts on Natsu first. Red lines lined his body and he yelled and growled in pain as the lines flashed, making some people have second thoughts. Eventually Ultear came over to the rest of the group.

"Alright, it's your turn now." She says, referring to everyone but Natsu. Some people visibly cringed at the thought but let Ultear cast her magic on them. Pretty soon, most of the group joined Natsu on the ground, shaking, crying, yelling in pain. The only ones still up were the ones without the magic cast on them and Erza, Arslan, and Daryun.

"I wonder why this isn't having the same effect on us as it is with the rest of the team." Arslan says to Daryun.

"Perhaps the Celestial spirit king also gave us this when he unlocked out magic for us." Daryun answered.

"Perhaps." Arslan agrees. The watched as Erza said goodbye to Jellal before she walked back over to the team.

"So, now that we have our second origin unlocked, how do you guys feel about extra training tomorrow?"


	14. Chapter 14

Daryun P.O.V.

Finally, after long, stressful training days, trying to catch up because of the missing three months, they went back home to Fairy Tail. Everybody was dead tired, and as soon as they reached the entrance to the guild, they collapsed on the ground.

"Home sweet home." Natsu whines.

"Are you guys just gonna lie around all day? Get up!" Macao exclaims. Several people groaned before they mustered up the strength to stand up.

"Welcome back. Now that you are back, i not only sense magical growth, but I also sense new magic. Very powerful magic. Who would that be coming from?" Makarov asks, coming out of the guild with his hands clasped behind his back. Arslan and Daryun step up to Makarov.

"That would be us. On the training trip, one of Lucy's spirits brought us to the celestial spirit world and the king unlocked our powers for us, as they were locked from of the world he lived in." Arslan explains. "I have celestial spirit magic, and Daryun has a kind of weaponry magic."

"I will be helping Arslan with his spirits." Lucy says, stepping up.

"And I will help Daryun with his weapons." Erza says, stepping up as well with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Alright. Let us go inside the guild and we will talk further there." Makarov says, leading the group inside. Makarov steps onto a platform, leaving the group in front of it and turns towards the entire guild, also huddled around the stage.

"I have an announcement! I will be telling everyone the five people that will participate in the Grand Magic Games! The participants will be, Natsu! Gray! Erza!" He exclaims. Everyone agrees with him on that, seeing as they are some of the guilds strongest. "The last two will be, Lucy and Arslan!" You could almost hear a pin drop in the silence before an ear rattling sound bursts from the crowd.

"WHAT?!" Several people yell.

"But, Arslan has no magic, the last that we heard!" Someone yells out.

"A well, on the training trip that Team Natsu and a few others took, Arslan and Daryun unlocked their magic because of the celestial spirit king. Arslan has celestial spirit magic, and Daryun has weaponry magic." Makarov explains.

"Then why have both Arslan and Lucy? They're both celestial spirit mages!" The same person yells.

"Because Arslan is a powerful and unexpected asset. He will be helpful to win the Grand Magic Games!" Makarov says. A sudden, dark and almost evil stare makes its presence known when Makarov finishes speaking. Makarov turns and quickly spots Daryun's death glare, surprised to see it because of its rarity. Makarov sweat-drops.

"He can, of course, learn other magics as well! Who can help Arslan and teach him some knew magic?" He asks, laughing nervously. A very muscular arm raises from somewhere in the back of the crowd.

"Thank you for willingly taking up this opportunity to teach Arslan some new magic. Arslan, meet your magic trainer, Laxus." Makarov says, gesturing for Laxus to walk onto the stage. The guild once again quiets down as Laxus makes his way up to the stage.

"So, which one am I supposed to train?" Laxus asks. Arslan raises his hand. "Alright. Meet me outside when everything is done here and I'll give you the crash course on lightning dragon slayer magic." With that, Laxus jumps off the stage and walks out the door to the guild. The guild once again breaks out in whispers, though this time they are more confused and immediate.

"Why is everyone acting like that? He only said he would help me in training." Arslan says.

"I do not know, Your Highness." Daryun responds.

"It's because Laxus would never do that! He has almost never offered to help anyone ever since I've been here." Lucy says.

"Oh. Well, people do change. Maybe it's his time to change." Arslan says. As everyone starts dispersing, and Arslan goes outside to start training with Laxus and Daryun goes to follow him when Makarov starts speaking again.

"I have decided that we will have one more Fairy Tail team. It will consist of Mystogan, Juvia, Gajeel, Mirajane, and Daryun." He says. "If you guys win, you can have the other team do anything you want them to and they can not complain." Taking his final words as a dismissal, they left, this time not being stopped. Daryun went outside to find Arslan already getting the hang of the lightning magic. Instead of Laxus' yellow lightning, Arslan had cyan lightning sparking at his fingertips. He brought his hands together and then ripped them apart just as fast, lightning sparking in an arch in between his hands and growing ever taller. When Arslan stopped moving his hands away, the lightning arch split into two rods and struck at where Arslan aimed his hands. Daryun stared in amazement at the powerful display of lightning, only breaking out of his uncharacteristic moment when Laxus claps his hands together a few times.

"Good job, Arslan. That was way better than before. Your getting it." Laxus complements. Arslan beams up at him.

"Thank you for your assistance, Laxus. I couldn't have come this far if it weren't for you." Arslan says. Laxus slaps a hand on Arslan's back making Arslan stumble a little and Daryun to almost go into overprotective guard mode.

"Well, now that you are all trained and ready, we should probably regroup with the rest of the guild and head out to the Games." Laxus suggests.

"Yes, that would be best." Arslan nods. He walks up to Daryun and walks the rest of the way back into the guild with him. As soon as all the guild is in the same place, they head out to the A, what the guild is calling the original team for the Games, leaves first to go to the registry, leaving the rest of the guild to do the same. Somehow though, even though Team B took the long route, they ended up at the registry first. Makarov registered both teams at the same time. Picking up a rule book, The guild goes to the agreed meetup spot and Makarov hands Erza the rule book. Levy starts reading it out loud, and then they split up to explore the city with a quick reminder to be back at the hotel by midnight.

Daryun and Arslan decided to do the exploring together, like they normally do things, and break of from Team A and the still secret Team B. Arslan and Daryun walk around, Daryun walking with an amused smile as Arslan gazes in wonder at the shops full of foods, cloths, flowers, and an assortment of other things. They bought a few things, like some cloth to make some winter clothing, some foods they had never seen before, and two bags, one per person, to carry anything else they decide they might want and/or need, as well as the money they have. By 11:30, they went back to the inn that Team A is staying at to rest their legs before Arslan (and Daryun) have to do the intro round. Daryun opened the door and saw Erza already sitting on one bed in her pajamas.

"Hello, Erza. How has your night been so far?" Arslan asks, walking into the room with Daryun behind him.

"It's been quiet so far. Peaceful, relaxing. What about yours?" She asked. "You haven't been in this world long and I know most things are still new to you."

"It was wonderful. We discovered many new foods, different patterns, thicknesses, and textures of clothes, and many different magical artifacts!" Arslan exclaims.

"Yeah, those can be bit of a cultural shock." Erza responds. Arslan sits down on a bed and Daryun glances at a clock on the wall, finding them more helpful than telling time by the position of the sun or moon. The clock read 11:45 and all of Team A's other teammates come filing into the room.

"Highness, now would be a good time for me to leave. It would be best for you to start getting ready for the first task." Daryun says. Arslan looks up and then looks at the clock before bringing his gaze back to Daryun.

"So it seems. Farewell, Daryun. I will see you later." Arslan says. Daryun lowers his head as a mini bow and leaves the room, heading over to the meeting place that Team B agreed on. Seeing the rest of his team already there, he picked up his pace and joined them. As soon as he reached them, they started walking towards their inn.

"I hope I did not leave you waiting long." Daryun says.

"No, we had just gathered their a few minutes before you arrived." Gajeel responds. Daryun nods and the continue the rest of the way to the guild in comfortable silence.


	15. Chapter 15

Arslan P.O.V.

After Daryun left the room, most of the team sat around on the beds, waiting for the first task to start. By the time the clock hit 11:55, the team went out onto the balcony connected to the room. When the clock hit midnight, an image of a man with a giant pumpkin head appeared in the middle of the air, surprising Arslan.

"The rules are quite simple." It speaks. The buildings start growing taller, making Natsu kneel down and start looking sick. Several other buildings also grow to about the same height. "Now, you will all be participating in a race! The exit is at the coliseum! Only the first eight teams to reach it will be able to participate in the Grand Magic Games!" A wooden bridge starts growing from the top of the railing on the balcony, leading to a sphere that appeared in the air.

"You can use your magic in any way you see fit, there are no~ restrictions! But remember, only the first eight team to cross the finish line can participate! However, all five team member must cross the finish line for it to count! But remember one more thing! We are not responsible for any death that may occur in the labyrinth." The team gasps. Gray answers.

"You may begin!" With that, they all jump onto the wooden bridge and run into the labyrinth. A large, solid platform signified that they were in the labyrinth. Looking around, Arslan noticed some things that were upside down or sideways.

"Woah, it's like some sort of 3D maze." Gray remarked.

"The colosseum was towards the east when we were on the ground, so we should head that way." Lucy summoned her compass spirit, Pyxis, and they determined what way east was.

"Yes, I was aware, because I brought a regular compass." Erza said. Lucy crouches down as she and Pyxis sulk.

"What is a 'compass'?" Arslan asks. Used to his not knowing things, Erza hands him the compass so he can see it.

"A compass is something that helps us see what way is which." Erza answers. Arslan nods and hands the compass back to Erza. "What do you guys do to determine what direction you are going in?"

"Well, we mostly look at the position of the sun or moon to determine what direction we are going in and what time it is." Arslan responds. The group nods, impressed, as they start walking towards their destination.

"So you everyone from your world knows how?" Gray asked. Arslan nods.

"Of course. Even if they cannot go to school or not, we all grow up with it. It is like basic knowledge."

"Huh. That's interesting." Arslan nods his head and notices they are nearing a door.

"Hey, where does that lead?" Arslan asks.

"Let's find out." Erza responds, opening the door.

"I feel like I could fall right in." Lucy says. The group runs through the door, leading into a tunnel, and Natsu opens a door at the other side. He accidentally steps off the edge and waves his arms rapidly, trying to regain his balance and not fall through the labyrinth until Erza grabs the back of his shirt, effectively pulling him back up on both feet. They continue looking around, trying to find another path.

"Should we make a map?" Arslan suggests, looking around.

"Probably. Does anyone have any paper?" Lucy asks. Everyone checks their pockets and gives Lucy all they have, leaving Lucy to pull a pen out of thin air. She sketched out where they had already been and then where they are on a different page.

"Alright let's go. I can keep drawing the map the further we go." Lucy says. Erza nods. They continue walking, always going East, until eventually they come face to face with another guild.

"Give us your map." One of the men says.

"No way!" Lucy exclaims. The men punch their fists and stalk towards the Fairy Tail team, not expecting what happens. As soon as the men made a move, Arslan pulled out his sword and stood in front of the team, sword aimed at the other men. They laugh scoffingly.

"What can a puny guy like you do with a non-magical sword against _wizards_? What are you even doing here? This _is_ a magical competition." One guy mocks. Arslan smiles.

" _This._ " He simply states. Arslan takes his pointer and middle finger and run them along the edge of the blade, lightning dancing of his fingers and onto the sword. As soon as he reaches the end, the whole sword is lit up with lightning. Arslan swings his sword, sending lightning in a curve in the direction of the men.

"What the hell?" One man exclaims. Arslan smiles.

"That was, as you say, 'awesome'." He says. Gray smirks.

"Yeah it was!" He yells. Several of the men that had attacked them were surprised enough to accidentally walk off the edge of the platform they were standing on and where gripping the side in fear of falling. The ones that managed to stay on were shaking.

"What was that?" One asks.

"I-I don't know." Another answers. A third one stands straight.

"That was a one time thing, right? I bet you can't do that again!" He exclaims. "You won't be able to win against my plant magic!" He hold his arms out and plants rise from the platform, swinging around at the Fairy Tail team. Arslan cuts through the plants though, and Gray and Erza take care of the rest. Natsu walks up to the guy, fire in his eyes, and punches him off the platform. The other men start scramblin away from the team and fling themselves off the platform.

"Hey, they dropped this." Natsu says, picking up a collection of papers.

"It's another map!" Lucy exclaims.

"That probably means that the other teams also have maps." Erza says.

"We should get other teams maps as well." Natsu suggests. Lucy agrees and they start searching out other teams to collect their maps. After several teams and several maps, Lucy puts them together and leads the team to the middle of the labyrinth.

"Now, which way is east?" Gray asks. Erza pulls out her compass and looks at the top, only to see the point spinning in circles.

"I don't know. The compass broke." She says. Arslan raises his hand and points in a direction.

"It's that way." He says. "I was paying attention to the stars on the way here." Lucy smiles.

"Alright!" She exclaims. The team starts running towards the east and a door appears at the end of the path. The door as the word goal on it, flashing to catch people attention. When they reached the door, the pumpkin man was standing there with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Congratulations! You have passed the preliminary round!" He exclaims, clapping.

"I'm just dying to know, did we come in first place?" Lucy asks.

"Err, no. More like… eight place." He says.

"What?! Eighth place?"


	16. Chapter 16

Arslan P.O.V.

The first day. The team was sitting in a spare room, getting dressed into their team clothes.

"What do we do in these… games?" Arslan asks, breaking the comfortable silence that was layered around them like a blanket.

"Well, we compete against other guilds for the spot as the strongest guild in Fiore." Gray explains. "And these games declare who the winner is." Arslan nods.

"Alright. So it is sort of like the jousting tournaments my Lord Father holds sometimes." Arslan says.

"I… guess, yeah." Gray responds. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a voice coming over the speakers, announcing the first team. The Fairy Tail team took this as their queue to leave the room and get in position for their team to be announced. They stood by the opening, waiting, and their team gets announced. They walked out of the hallway and into the arena, smoke flowing around them and then disintegrating when it reached the outside. Their guild symbol lit up in front of them and they walked through it, going to their own little part of the arena.

After the Fairy Tail team another team went, A group of people they recognised came out of the hallway. The Fairy Tail team stared in surprise as Mystogan, Mirajane, Gajeel, Juvia, and Daryun walked out.

"Daryun!" Arslan exclaims. Daryun's head snaps over to face Arslan.

"Hello, Your Highness. Forgive me for not telling you about this. Makarov requested it be kept a secret." He says, walking over to Arslan. His group also heads over to them but makes sure to keep separated.

"I understand your reasoning, Daryun." Arslan says. Daryun's figure seems to sag down just a bit, like a heavy burden has just been lifted from his shoulders. A loud voice comes over amplifiers, blasting through the auditorium, announcing the first game called Hidden. Daryun left for his group and Arslan's group huddled together to decide who would do the first game. A loud voice declared they would go, drawing Gray's attention. As soon as Gray's eyes landed on the man, a fire lit in his eyes.

"I'll do it!" Gray exclaims, finalizing the decision. The rest of the group goes up into the stands in their own section, watching the eight people still down on the field. Gray, the white haired man, and Juvia gathered with each other and waited for the game to start, only to be seperated when a great magical power swept through the arena and walls sprouted up from the ground like weeds, making a small town looking place that the contestants are trapped in, separated from everyone else.

"Lyon? Juvia? Where are you?" Gray yelled. No response. Gray started looking around for any indication for where he is and where the others are. Several people shaped lights fill the empty streets and alleyways and buildings. When the light disappears, several copies of Gray, Juvia, and the other contestants.

"What the hell?" Gray says, noticing the figures, all frozen in one position. "Finding the real people here is going to be impossible." Gray runs around, trying to find _someone_ not frozen.

"You dimwit. You don't have a chance if it takes you this long to figure out the game." Someone says. Gray turns around and glares at the purple person.

"You're with _Raven Tail_." Gray snarls, saying Raven Tail with disgust. The person smirks.

"Certainly am! Name's Nalpudding." He says.

"Well, it's nice of you to find me. It means I don't have to find you! Ice make, HAMMER!" Gray yells, connecting his fist to his hand and ripping it away leaving a trail of ice in the form of a large hammer. Gray swings the hammer and smashed the guy into the ground. "Thanks for giving me my first point." A beeping sounds and a point is taken away from Fairy Tail instead of given to.

"What the… I clearly just pulled the guy. What gives?" Gray asked. Nalpudding laughs and Gray looks up, seeing Nalpudding coming closer.

"No way." Gray says.

"Nice try. This here's the real thing see." Nalpudding smirks. Gray gets the penalty and is transported to another part of the arena.

"Oh well. At least I learned something. I can use my clone to get close to someone, then when they least expect it, attack them." Gray think out loud. Gray continues on like he is a clone and then he stopped. He looked around the area and saw Nalpudding coming up to him.

"Oh Gray, you're making this too easy." He says, transforming his arms and attacking Gray.

"Come on!" Natsu yells.

"You can do it. Gray!" Happy yells.

"Do not give up, Gray! You shall get the hang of it eventually!" Arslan yells, his voice louder than the others. Gray nods his head with a fierce look on his face, becoming more focused on the game.

Gray starts walking again, heading in a random direction, when giant carrots start heading his way. A girl with red hair and freckles comes out of the ground with a plant underneath her, being attacked. Gray turned and saw someone being attacked by the white haired man, who then in turn was attacked by Juvia.

"I don't plan to lose to you, Juvia. I plan to win." Gray tells her. She nods in agreement.

"I agree. I am also not going to lose because of the promise master made." She says.

"I'm guessing that promise has something to do to me." Gray says, some form of anger in his nods.

"Yes. He said, 'The members of the winning team get to do whatever they want to the members of the losing team for a day." She says. Gray turns towards the stands where the rest of the guild is.

"Are you serious? If that's the case, it has to work if our team wins too!" Gray yells. Makarov sweat drops and nods.

"Yes yes, will do." He says. Gray turns back to Juvia.

"I want my wish, so I don't plan on losing." She says.

"Bring it on." Gray responds before Nalpudding comes back again. He goes to attack Gray and Juvia, and then it starts snowing. Someone gets several points, and then Nalpudding attacks Gray again.

"Really? What's your problem?" Gray asked. They attack each other until some new information comes around about someone named Rufus. The contestants stop to look at Rufus standing on the roof of a building. Rufus starts using his magic making Gray, Juvia, Nalpudding, and every other contestant to start glowing. Only the clones were left not glowing. Rufus starts attacking the contestants, and Nalpudding starts attacking Rufus back, but misses and attacks a clone instead. Rufus attacks Nalpudding and gets put in the lead.

Gray goes to attack Rufus, but Nalpudding goes in front of him and stops Gray from being able to attack by pushing him down. Gray growls quietly and stands back up, but by then the thirty minutes are over and he is in last place. The crowd starts laughing at the Fairy Tail teams making Natsu start yelling at them. Gray walks over to Team A, sulking about his loss.

"I'm sorry I lost." Gray says.

"Don't worry about it. It's only the first game. Lucy says, trying to cheer him up. Arslan walks over to Gray, Daryun soon following out of habit of being near Arslan.

"Do not worry, Gray. You fought well under the pressure of the Games. You should be pleased with how well you did under pressure." Arslan says. Gray's mouth quirks up at the corners.

"Thanks, Arslan." Gray says. Arslan nods before looking at Daryun, a silent conversation passing between them before Daryun nods and Arslan smiles. He waves bye at Gray and walks off in the direction that Rufus is in. He spots a man in a red hat with a feather connected to it and walks over to him.

"Excuse me, are you Rufus?" Arslan asked. The man turns and nods at Arslan.

"I am. Who are you?" Rufus asked back.

"I am Arslan of the Fairy Tail guild. I wanted to congratulate you on your winning the game." Arslan says, bowing his head. "I was impressed with your magical ability, as I have never seen anything like it before. I have not been around the magical society for a while and haven't seen much, but your magic was impressive." Arslan responds.

"Thank you, Arslan. Although our guilds are enemies during the games, I hope that will not come between a friendship between us."

"Of course it will not. As long as you do not do anything that would warrant any concern about your behavior, I do not see any problem with being friends."

"Wonderful." Rufus smiles. "While we wait for the next competition, would you like to meet my guildmates?"

"That would be wonderful." Arslan smiles. "Just let me tell my guard and I will be with you."

"Guard? What do you need a guard for?"

"Well, people from where I am from do not really like my Lord Father, the king, so I needed protection so I would not be kidnapped. And then during the war, he came with me and became my permanent guard."

"A prince! It is an honor, Sire." Rufus says, bowing down.

"Oh, you do not need to do that here. My status as prince is not the same here as it is back at my home world. " Arslan waves his hands, waving off the gesture hurriedly.

"Nonsense! A prince is a prince and should be treated like one."

"Alright, I guess." Arslan says, sweat dropping. He turns and catches Daryun's eye and makes a gesture, signifying that he is with Rufus. Daryun nods, although his guard increases significantly. "I have told my guard that I am with you, so whenever you are ready, we can go."

"Alright, Prince Arslan. Let us go!" Rufus says, guiding Arslan over to where his teammates are seated.

"Sting, Rogue, Yukino, Orga, Frosch, Lector. This is Prince Arslan from the Fairy Tail guild." Rufus introduced. The guild members immediately sat up straight and tried to play it cool. Arslan smiled in greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sabertooth Team. I hope that even though our guilds are on opposite teams during the games, we can be friends." Arslan says.

"Of course, Prince Arslan." Sting says stiffly. Arslan sighs.

"You do not have to be like that around me, I do not mind. Just be yourselves." Arslan says. The team waits a few second before they sigh and slouch down in their seats again.

"So, Prince Arslan. What are you doing here and not with your team?" Sting asks.

"I do not mind the games that much. I would rather be friends and fight for fun than enemies fighting for life." Arslan explains. "Back where I am from, we are in the middle of a war. It is… not good. Bloody. I have been betrayed by my closest friends because they want to get the throne. I would rather avoid that while I can." The team nods in understanding, before Frosch and Lector break to the front of the group.

"I'm Lector, and this is Frosch!" The red cat announces, raising his arm in the air. Arslan's appearance changes into a calmer one, more relaxed and happy at seeing the Exceeds.

"It is nice to meet you, Lector, Frosch. I have friends back in Fairy Tail that are exceeds like you too." Arlan says, scratching them behind their ears, earning a pur from them.

"Really?" Lector asks. Arslan hums and nods.

"Yeah. Their names are Happy and Carla. I'm sure they would be happy to meet you guys sometime." Arslan responds. He had sat down and pulled Frosch into his lap gently, completely forgetting about the other people watching him carefully. Lector sits next to Arslan, crossing his arms and trying to act like he isn't interested in Arslan, even though his presence brings a calming sense to him. Arslan scratched behind Frosch's ears and under his chin, getting a long, soft purring noise from the exceed in return. A clearing of the throat reminds Arslan of the other people in the room. He looks over at the Sabertooth Team and smiles.

"I am sorry, but I seem to have become friends with your exceed friends." Arslan apologizes, but does not stop scratching Frosch's ears, his other hand picking up Lector and setting him in his lap to scratch his ears as well. With both the cats purring on his lap, Sting and Rogue look at him warily.

"I promise I do not have any malicious intent towards your exceed friends." Arslan says, mistaking the wary looks as ones of protective intent.

"That is not what we are worried about. We are just amazed you got on Lectors good side so quickly." Sting says. Arslan nods his head in understanding.

"I have always had a way with people and animals." Arslan tells them. After that is cleared up,

They get along great, laughing and joking around for a few hours before Arslan has to go.

"I should head back to my guild now. It is getting to be about five, and the next event is about to start. Pleasure meeting you. I do hope we never fall on the opposing end of each others magic. Until later." Arslan says, standing up and waving to the team. They wave at him, smiling a kind smile until Arslan leaves the group alone and goes to his group.

"So, what did you guys think of him?" Rufus asked immediately after Arslan is out of earshot.

"I like him. He is a good kid. We may have beef with Fairy Tail, but we should leave him out of it. He has just joined not that long ago." Sting says.

"I agree." Rogue says, shocking them all.

"Well, you heard what they said. He is a nice kid. I would like to continue the our friendship with him. A secret from the master, of course." Rogue says. The rest of them nod in agreement.

"Alright. So it is decided." Sting smiles, standing up. "Protect Arslan. Keep him out of the fight we have with Fairy Tail."


	17. Chapter 17

No One's P.O.V.

The next event was coming closer by the second.

"Where is Arslan?" Erza asks.

"He is with the Sabertooth Team." Daryun says, walking over to them. "He told me he is going to get to know them. He said it would be good to make friends with them and have a friendly battle to see who is stronger than to be fighting to the death." Daryun explains. As soon as he said that, Team A was nodding in agreement.

"That is smart." Gray says. When he finishes, a patter of feet coming closer to them is heard, as well as the sound of metal hitting leather. Daryun stands on guard, but it drops immediately when he sees it is just Arslan.

"Your Highness!" He exclaims. Arslan smiles and waves at them.

"Hello." He says.

"Did the Sabertooth Team do anything to you?" Daryun asks.

"No. They did not do anything. I was in good company there." Arslan comforts. Daryun sighs in relief.

"That is good." Daryun says. The Pumpkin Man's voice comes over an amplifier, announcing the next battle was about to start. The Teams went to their sections, Daryun lingering with Arslan instead of going with is group. Lucy went down into the arena with a red haired girl, Flare, and stood in the center, glaring at her. Lucy took out her keys and summoned Taurus, the Ox spirit, who immediately attacked Flare with is ax. Flare jumped out of the way. As she was in the ir, Lucy took out another key and summoned a spirit with red and white hair, Scorpio. Scorpio did a sand attack, and Flare's hair came out of it's hairdo. Her hair floated around her, lighting up with fire. The hair went in front of her, creating a shield, and protecting her from the sand, Flare laughing maniacally. Fairy Tail was shocked.

"She uses fire magic?" Natsu asked.

"She just blocked the attack with her hair." Daryun states. Arslan was too busy watching the battle to notice their talking, to focused on subconsciously strategizing an attack plan to win against Flare.

"Okay, Taurus, time to take things up a notch!" Lucy yelled.

"Can doo!" Taurus said. He raised his ax over his shoulder and magic started swirling around him. He jumped and swung the ax down, making a sand blizzard. Lucy thanked the two spirits, sending them back to the Celestial Spirit world. Flare got up from the ground, but was sent backwards from the force of the blizzard.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Flare yells. She laughed, making her hair grow and go towards Lucy. Instead of her hair grabbing Lucy, it became the head of a lion. Lucy summons Cancer, the crab spirit, and he cuts Flares hair. The lion's head disappears and Flare almost enters a mental breakdown.

"No, my hair! You cut it!" She cries.

"Way to go, Cancer!" Lucy says.

"I'm just doing my job, Cancer explains, then disappears. Flare sends her hair into the ground and it flows over to Lucy. The hair comes out of the ground, grabbing her legs. Flare swings around and slams Lucy into the ground.

"Your spirits have nothing on my free flowing hair, Blondie." Flare speaks. Lucy grabs her whip.

"Oh yeah? My Fleuve d'étoiles might disagree!" Lucy yells. She takes the whip out and a long, water and fire mixed thing that looks rope like appears at the end of it, growing and shrinking in size depending on how Lucy was moving it. She swung the whip, aiming at Flares wrist. The whip clasps her wrist, circling around three times.

"How's that for free flowing?" Lucy asks, a smirk on her face. The two girls launch into the air, doing cartwheels. Flares hair ignites and circles around Lucy's ankles, burning Lucy's boots. She continues flinging Lucy around in the air and burning her boots, going onto her skin. Flare eventually let's go of Lucy, making them jump away from each other. Lucy lands on her knees and she carefully peels the boots off of her feet, wincing as the burnt fabric peels off of her skin.

"Aww. I liked those boots." Lucy whines. Flare throws her hair into the ground again, leaving her head slightly tilted as her hair grows into the ground.

"What gives? Are you going to go for my feet again?" Lucy asked. She looked and tried to pinpoint for where the hair would turn up. She turns to look at the guild, who is cheering for her, and sees a bunch of red hair coming out of the grounds behind Asuka.

"ASUKA, LOOK OUT MHHM!" Lucy's yell is muffled by Flares hair gagging her. She throws Lucy into the ground again. Arslan frowns, having heard Lucy's muffled yell. He looks over at the guild and notices the red hair behind Asuka, growing slightly taller, but not enough to be noticed by the guild. Arslan immediately becomes more alert, looking anywhere else where there might be hair. Seeing that there isn't any, Arslan turns to Natsu.

"Natsu." Arslan said seriously, surprising Natsu. His surprise is short lived when he sees the serious but worried look on Arslan's face, and Natsu's face soon adopts the same expression.

"What? What's the matter?" Natsu asked.

"Flare's hair is in the guild stand, behind Asuka. I think Flare is going to use that to her advantage so Lucy will not be able to fight back. You need to do something." Arslan said. Natsu's head snapped over to the guild stand and saw what Arslan was talking about, a red clump of hair coming out of the ground, small flames flicking off of the top. Natsu starts running over to the guild group, dodging people in the stands. Arslan turned his attention back to the fight.

"Okay, I surrenDER HMM!" Lucy was once again cut off by Flares hair.

"I thought I told you, no talking!" Flare scolded. She used more of her hair to hold Lucy's limbs so she wouldn't be able to move. She let Lucy's mouth go, turning her hair into the Raven Tail guild mark and putting it on fire.

"Where would you like me to put it? Oh, I know! You want it on top of your Fairy Tail emblem, don't you?" Flare mused. Lucy started panicking.

"No! Please don't! Put it anywhere but there!" Lucy pleaded. The Raven Tail mark got closer and closer to Lucy's hand, making Lucy tense up further and further, waiting the mark to burn her skin.

"Lucy! You're in the clear!" Natsu's yell broke the tensing atmosphere.

"Thanks, Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed, a sudden burst of strength letting her reach down and grab a key.

"Gemini!" She called. A bluish gold light appeared behind her and the Gemini appeared from it. One of the two Gemini noticed Lucy's position and hit Flare's jaw. The other one right through Flare's hair, freeing Lucy. Flare jerked away, letting all her hair come back to her and landing on the ground.

"Transform into me!" She told the Gemini. They did, a blue form of Lucy appearing as they transformed. When the transformation was complete, the light died down leaving the Gemini looking like Lucy, but in only a towel. Daryun immediately covered Arslan's eyes, leaving Arslan confused. He didn't question it though when he heard several people passing out in the stands. Daryun eventually stopped covering Arslan's eyes, and they looked down into the arena where Lucy and Gemini were holding hands.

"Survey _the Heavens,_

 _Open the Heavens..._

 _All the stars,_

 _far and wide..._

 _Show me thy appearance..._

 _With such shine._

 _Oh Tetrabiblos..._

I am the ruler of the stars…" The two Lucy's began. The area around the two started glowing, changing in color and becoming more galaxy like as the spell continued.

" _Aspect become complete..._

 _Open thy malevolent gate._

 _O 88 Stars of the heaven..._

 _Shine!_ " By this time, you could clearly see planets and stars around the arena.

" _Urano Metria!_ " The Lucy's finished. The planets aimed at Flare and attacked, heading straight towards her. Flare just sat on the ground of the arena, terrified and frozen in place as she was attacked. The spell hit her, and the crowd waited in anticipation to see…. Nothing. Fairy Tail lost. Whispers erupted from the crowd as Lucy started crying. Natsu went down into the arena to comfort her and bring her back into the waiting area for Team A.

"You fought a good battle, Lucy. Do not be ashamed." Arslan says, coming up to her. She sniffs and smiles through her tears as Arslan.

"Thanks." She mumbles. Natsu guides her to the showers and comes back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"How is she?" Gray asks.

"She is taking a shower right now. I could go check on her again." Natsu says.

"You can't do that." Erza said.

"Why not?" Natsu asks. When it dawns on his he smiles kingly and starts heading in the direction of the showers again. Erza grabs onto him by the scarf.

"She needs some time alone. Let her have it." Erza says.


	18. Chapter 18

Arslan P.O.V.

The games were done for the day and the teams went back to their hotels, leaving Fairy Tail alone in the stadium.

"I shall go check on Lucy. Arslan says, walking to the building Natsu brought Lucy to. Arslan walks over to the wall and waits for Lucy to come out of the shower. When Lucy leaves the shower room, a cloud of steam comes out with her. Her hair is tied up out of her face.

"Hey, Arslan." Lucy sighs. "Where's Daryun?"

"He is with his team. I do not know what they are doing." Arslan responds. "Lucy, I hope you do not mind, but what was the spell you used earlier?"

"It was Urano Metria, a spell only Celestial Mages can use. I can teach it to you, if you want."

"I would be honored, Lucy. But I will not force you to teach it to me if you are not up to it."

"It's alright. I need something else to focus on, and teaching you would be helpful to me."

"Alright, If you are sure." Arslan plops down onto the floor and crosses his legs, Lucy following his example. They spend the next couple of hours teaching or learning, and talking to each other. By the time they stood back up, Lucy was in a way better mood.

"We should head back to the guild." Lucy says, standing up. Arslan smiles and nods before standing up and dusting off his clothes. They walk out to the arena to find the teams and the guild waiting for them. Daryun walks up to Arslan and goes to his normal position behind him.

"Alright, let's go." Someone from the front of the group says. The guild is lead to a bar and as soon as the doors open, the guild spills in and somehow possesses several barrels of alcohol. Arslan sips his non alcoholic drink and watches the drunk chaos ensue. People surfing on barrels, people (Cana) chugging entire barrels, and drunk flirting. Arslan smiles as Daryun stands his guard and indulges in the drinks, just sparingly. Eventually, the guild stumbles out of the bar and into their hotels for the next day.

The next day, somehow at the exact same time, all the guilds and teams meet up back in the arena. The guilds go to the stands and the teams go to their area. The Pumpkin Man's voice erupts over voice amplifiers and announces the next game called Chariot. Sabertooth sent out Sting, Making Natsu announce that he is going to do the game, causing Gajeel to do the same. As soon as all the contestants are on a wooden platform, the Pumpkin Man announces the start of the game, and the platforms start moving.

All the contestants run over the platforms, trying to get to the front first, except the dragon slayers. Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting look ready to puke and pass out. They struggle to move even a centimeter, to busy trying to hold in their breakfast. All the contestants get closer to the finish line, leaving the dragon slayers on their own to try and fight their motion sickness.

Natsu and Gajeel start crawling towards the end of the platform, moving at a snail's pace, leaving Sting back where he was. Sting said something that the lacrimas couldn't pick up and Natsu responded to him, also too quiet for the lacrimas. Natsu and Gajeel continued to crawl, though, eventually ending the race with Natsu crossing first, Gajeel second, and Sting third. Natsu, Gajeel, and Sting stumbled back to their teams.

"Good job, Natsu." Arslan congratulated. Natsu gave him a weak smile before covering his mouth again and trying not to throw up.

"Give me a second…" Natsu trailed off. "I need to adjust." A few minutes later filled with Natsu trying to not puke his guts out, and he was all set and ready to fight again. The first one on one duel was ending already, causing all the guilds to look on in anticipation at who the next fighters will be. They heard the familiar crackle from the microphones as a voice spoke loud and clear,

"Bacchus VS. Prince Arslan!" Team A and B were rendered silent as the crowd broke out into a frenzy.

"What?!" Exclaimed the Teams.


	19. Chapter 19

Arslan P.O.V.

The announcement still rang out freshly in the guilds ears. Daryun just about went up and killed the Pumpkin Man for making the announcement. Arslan stood tall and, after reassuring Daryun he would be fine, walked out into the arena. Bacchus was there, waiting for Arslan to come down as he laid on his side with a canister next to him.

"Hey, how about we make a bet, like those last guys did." Bacchus suggests.

"Pardon?" Arslan asks, confused, as he didn't see the last fight.

"You look pretty enough." Bacchus mutters before drawing in a breath. "How about, if I win, you and those sisters keep me company tonight,"

"My ears must be deceiving me. Never have I heard of someone asking for such things in a duel." Arslan speaks, eyes growing angry. "I would never bargen any one person for any such thing."

"Aww, come on, don't be a downer. I'm sure you'll have a good time." Bacchus drawls, a sinister smirk on his lips. Daryun's anger can practically be felt from the center of the arena, as well as being able to hear the guild muttering angrily about Bacchus.

"Now it's your turn. If you win?" Bacchus asks, tilting his head to the side drunkenly.

"I will not barter with you when the things you want are human lives. I will not lose to you." Arslan says evenly, glaring daggers at the man.

"Oh, I'm so scared I've got the shakes." Bacchus says, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Bacchus charges at Arslan, stumbling on the way. Arslan dodges out of the way and pulls out his hidden sword, unsheathing it and swinging it at Bacchus. Arslan uses the lightning and lines the blade of the sword, making it spark blue. Arslan swings the sword at Bacchus as Bacchus returns with kicks and punches. Arslan's shirt becomes torn in several places from the spikes on Bacchus' knuckles. Arslan hits Bacchus with the hilt of the sword, surprising him enough to knock him down onto the ground.

Arslan exhales sharply and puts his hands on the ground, swinging his body around to kick Bacchus' legs out from under him. Bacchus lands on the ground and Arslan hops back up, grabbing one of the Chinese Zodiac keys. He pulls it off of the key ring and holds it out in the air, silently summoning the spirit. Bacchus rolls to the upper part of his back and then rolls forward fast enough to jump up onto his feet. He takes another swig of his drink and stumbles forward towards Arslan again, ignoring the spirit. Arslan stands still, staring Bacchus in the eyes. Bacchus raises his hand in a fist and flings it towards Arslan, only for his hand to be caught just grazing Arslan's cheek.

Bacchus glances at the spirit and a man with blue eyes, short white hair, and curly goat horns stares back at him.

"Who are you?" Bacchus grumbles.

"I am Rufus, the Goat Spirit of the Chinese Zodiac." The man responds. He lets go of Bacchus' arm and nods towards Arslan, making them both glow in a faint green color. When the light faded, nothing looked different, but the spirit was gone. Bacchus raises his arm again and throws a punch at Arslan, surprised when Arslan catches it and knocks him back, sending him flying across the arena. His armor breaks up to the elbow.

"What in the world? He _got_ me?" Bacchus mutters. "What are you?" Arslan smiles.

"I am Prince Arslan. I have magic. Nothing more, nothing less." Arslan responds. Bacchus charges towards Arslan who retaliates by lifting his arms in front of him in the form of a 't'. Bacchus twists in the air, hitting Arslan constantly but not doing any visible damage to anything other than his own armor. The armor is broken up to Bacchus' shoulders now, but he doesn't stop yet. He changed his aim to Arslan's legs and feet, still not getting any visible damage on them, but still attacking relentlessly. When he stops he collapses onto his knees.

Arslan reaches down and touches his keys, sending Rufus a mental message giving him the okay to stop the merge. Arslan can feel as Rufus leaves, his presence slowly melting away from Arslan's mind. As he leaves, Arslan can feel himself getting weaker and his knees start to shake. When Rufus is completely gone, Arslan also collapses onto his knees and breathes heavily. Bacchus stands back up, seeing Arslan's moment of weakness and thrusts his arms into the air.

"That's right, I won!" He yells. Cheerin erupted throughout the stadium, drowning out the sound Bacchus made when he falls onto his back.

"I've got to tell you something Arslan. You are a real something alright." Bacchus says.

"That's right, folks! Prince Arslan won! He won his team 10 points." An announcers voice is drowned out at the end by the cheers being added to by the Sabertooth Team and the whole of Fairy Tail. Arslan smiles up at the stands, staying on his knees and breathing heavy. He puts his hands on his knees and tucks his head under his chin, trying to catch his breath and strength enough to stand up. Daryun walks down into the arena and kneels down, offering his hand to Arslan.

"Your Highness, you fought well." Daryun says. Arslan smiles up at his and takes his hand. Daryun stands up and pulls Arslan up, looking at him for permission. Arslan nods and almost falls over again before Daryun picks him up. Daryun carry's Arslan over to the rest of the guild, smiling as Arslan received congratulations on his win.


	20. Chapter 20

Daryun P.O.V.

Daryun carry's Arslan to the game's hospital wing, putting him carefully on a bed and calling a nurse over. She does a check up on him, finding nothing wrong until she checks his legs. The constant attack on Arslan's legs has damaged them, not to the point of breaking, but he will not be able to walk for a while. As she explains the extent of Arslan's injuries, Daryun listened nervously.

"Will His Highness be alright?" Daryun asks. The nurse nods.

"Of course! He should just not use his legs for a few days. He can stand, but with caution and not for too long so he does not put strain on the legs. He is free to go, just remember to stay off those legs! There is a wheelchair by the door you can use to bring him around." She answers before turning around and leaving. Daryun grabs the wheelchair and pushes it towards Arslan's bed. Arslan stares at the chair curiously before grabbing onto the arm rests and pulling himself up and onto the seat. He plops down and folds his hands, placing them in his lap. Daryun stays behind the chair and pushes it out of the hospital wing and to the stadium to watch the next match. Driving Arslan to the guild stands, two people are already in the arena.

"Hey Arslan, Daryun!" Natsu greets, rushing over to them. "Mirajane and Jenny are currently fighting right now."

"Alright. We will go over and join the teams to cheer on Mirajane." Arslan says. Daryun nods and pushes Arslan towards the teams and Natsu follows, chatting the entire way.

"By the way, what happened?" Natsu asks.

"Bacchus aimed his worst attacks at my legs, so when Rufus the Spirit left, the force of the attack settled in. The nurse said I will not be able to use my legs for a few days." Arslan says.

"In the meantime, I am not leaving His Highness' side unless mandatory." Daryun informs. Natsu nods in understanding.

"Alright. Hey, Lucy!" Natsu calls, noticing how close they are to the teams. Lucy waves them over to the teams and makes room for Aslan's wheelchair. Down in the field, Mirajane and Jenny are continually changing bathing suits instantly, causing several other girls from other guilds to crash their battle in their own bathing suits. All of the girls are down there in bathing suits eventually, surprising Daryun and Arslan with their boldness and how much skin is showing. Arslan's eyes notice someone younger than the others on the field as well.

"Isn't that the first master Mavis?" He asks, pointing her out. Daryun follows his finger and spots Mavis as well.

"I… believe so." He responds. Arslan nods and turns his attention to the wheelchair. For some reason, the judges decided to get in on it as well and changed the theme to wedding attire, sending the guys out into the field as well. Dresses and suit fell from the sky like rain, being scooped up before they hit the ground by the girls and guys. Everybody finds a bride or a groom and stick together.

Lisanna shyly approaches Natsu, asking him to be her partner, as Loki appears in a white suit and scoops Lucy up, jumping through the air in the direction of the two. Loki starts falling through the air and lands on top of Natsu with Lucy in his arms, sending Natsu to the ground and sliding across the arena. Loki disappears, leaving Lucy in a ruffled dress on top of Natsu.

The event changes again to bathing suits, and, somehow, all the girls have them underneath their dresses. One of the guild masters, and old woman, jumps from the top of a statue, ripping her cloak off of from around her neck. She swings her hips, immediately sending Daryun into overdrive mode. He covers Arslan's eyes and closes his own, trying to ignore the burning sensation in his eyes. The judges quickly called off the event, ignoring the old master's grumbling. All the contestants that weren't supposed to be on the field left, leaving Mirajane and Jenny on the field by themselves again. Daryun uncovered Arslan's eyes and dropped his hands back by his side.

"Whoever loses has to pose for Sorcerer Weekly wearing absolutely nothing except their birthday suit." Jenny said. Most of the guys started blushing furiously, but all Mira did is giggle.

"Sure!" She exclaimed. The guys faces all around the stadium grew even redder, making them look like tomatoes.

"Battle gear." Jenny yelled, transforming into an outfit. Mira smiled and also used her magic, becoming her She-Devil form, the strongest one. Se ran over to Jenny and hit her, instantly winning. She walked back across the arena, a small, pleasant smile on her face. The guild cheered, congratulating her on the win. Jenny stood up and sulked back to he guild, upset about the loss.

"Congratulations, Mira." Arslan greets her as she walks by. She smiles at him and nods.

"Thank you, Arslan. Although we may be on opposite sides during the games, I do hope your legs get better" She responds. Arslan smiles back and nods.

"I appreciate that." He says. She walks on again and leaves Team A alone.

"Daryun, I would like to visit the Sabertooth Team as to keep up in their good graces." Arslan suddenly says, surprising Daryun. He nods and wheels Arslan over to their direction. Sting spots them when they are about half way their, running over to meet Arslan.

"Hey, Princey. Who's this?" He asks, making a gesture to Daryun.

"This is Daryun, my guard. While I am immobile, he has taken the job to bring me places." Arslan explains. Sting nods.

"How are you, anyway? What Bacchus did was totally uncalled for. " Sting asked, walking besides Arslan as they again start heading over to the Sabertooth Team.

"I am fine. My legs, not so much. I will be able to use my legs again in a few days, though. For now, I have to use this wheelchair to move around." Arslan explains. Sting nods.

"Alright. So basically, Bacchus messed up your legs good. You need anyone to give him payback?" Sting asked, his mouth turned down in an angry frown. Arslan chuckles.

"No, no. I do not require anyone to get 'payback' for me. I appreciate the thought, though." Sting sighs.

"Alright." Sting looks up and guides them over to the Sabertooth Team.

"Hey, guys!" Sting yells, waving his arms to get their attention. Rogue turns immediately and nods in their direction.

"Alright! Everyone, this is Daryun, Arslan's guard." Sting introduced. "Daryun, this is Rogue, Rufus, Yukino, Orga, Frosch, and Lector." At their name, everyone gave a different greeting. Some noded, some waved, and the exceeds formed their wings and floated in the air a little.

"Alright, now that we're all introduced, let's have some fun!"


	21. Chapter 21

Daryun P.O.V.

The Colosseum was buzzing with eager chatter from the audience, trying to figure out what they would be doing today. The guilds stood in their designated areas pondering over the events of the day. Arslan sat in his chair and patiently watched the empty arena, waiting for the familiar crackle of the voice amplifier to announce the first task of the day. A large purple magic circle started to glow in the sky, going down to the ground, leaving an upside down castle in its place. The Pumpkin Man walked into the arena with a small cup in his hand with eight sticks in it.

"Choose your contenders!" He yells at the guilds, breaking them out of their curious gazes and they scrambled to make a decision. Fairy Tail Team B gathered together, discussing who will go out.

"I will do it." Daryun announces, a firm look in his eyes. The rest of the team nods.

"Alright. You would be a good choice. No one would suspect you being the one in it." Mira says. Daryun nods and glances at Team A, who is also deciding who should go. Seeing the team nod in agreement over something, Daryun looks back. The chosen people leave the teams and head to the arena, confidence oozing off of them. Daryun glances at Arslan who gives him a reassuring smile, telling him to not get hurt. Daryun nods and continues his course to the arena.

The Pumpkin Man walks up to each of the contestants and gestures they take a stick out of the container. Daryun does so in confusion and looks down at the stick, seeing it show the number eight. Daryun glances around, seeing each stick has a different number, and Erza has number one.

"There are one hundred monsters that can be fought inside this castle. You can choose however many you want to fight, and you cannot leave until everyone of them is destroyed." The Pumpkin Man explains. Erza nods and walks up to the castle, stopping in front of it.

"I will fight all one hundred monsters." She declares. The Pumpkin Man stops in his place before nodding.

"I guess that isn't against the rules... " He says. The inside of the castle gains a faint light before it disappears. The Pumpkin man nods at Erza, letting her know it is okay to enter the castle now. She does, walking with confidence most people would not have. Immediately she summoned her armor, fighting the first monsters in her way. Armor after armor, weapon after weapon, she took down each of the monsters in the castle. She had destroyed all of the monsters. All but the the level S one. Scratches all over her body, she breathed heavily as the small black ball that had followed her through everything turned into a large raging monster. She smirked and summoned her katanas, cutting through the monster and efficiently killing it. She walked out of the castle, the crowd cheering for her and she smiled, waving at the guild and her team.

With no more monsters left, but still seven teams, The Pumpkin Man looked towards the judges before smiling with an idea.

"I have something else for the rest of you to do. This is the magic power finder, or MPF for short." The Pumpkin Man said, looking towards the big black stand holding a blue ball in the center.

"In other words, it measures a wizard's magic power?" Someone asked.

"Righto! If you cast a spell on the blue ball, it will display your magical power in numerical form. I'll use this number to decide the rankings for the remaining teams. Since you all drew straws earlier, you will continue in that order." Pumpkin explained. A cat eared girl went first. She ripped her cloak off and did her attack, getting the number 365. Another guy did an attack, receiving the number 124. Hibiki went and received the number 95. A Raven Tail member went and got four. Orga went, getting 3,825. Then a wizard saint, getting 8,544. Daryun summoned his strongest weapon and charged at the MPF, making an explosion cover up what the score was, sending dust everywhere. When it cleared, the only thing left of the MPF was the score, reading 9,999.

The crowd cheered and the guild members left the arena, several glaring daggers at Daryun. Daryun turned his gaze to the glaring opposing team members and glared back, smirking when the flinch back in shock. Daryun turns and stalks over to the teams, his hair swishing behind him. Daryun climbed over to Arslan, immediately walking behind him and putting himself into a guarding position. Arslan smiles and turns his head to face Daryun.

"Good job, Daryun." Arslan says. Daryun bows his head and smiles softly.

"My thanks, Highness." He responds. His team walks over to him and congratulates him, smiling about getting second place.

"Great job, man! We are climbing the ranks!" Gajeel says, walking over and patting Daryun's shoulder proudly. Daryun looks up at his team and nods.

"It was not much. I just focused on my strength and let the magic take control." He explains. Gajeel scoffs.

"It doesn't matter what you did, you got us second place!" He says. Daryun lets a small smile cross his face briefly.

"Yeah, I guess I did."


	22. Chapter 22

_(A/N: Alright, this chapter is going to be a little different than how it was in the show because instead of Laxus, it will be Daryun doing the fight, so the whole illusion thing that happened will actually be real because the Raven Tail guild has no reason to actually want to talk with Daryun. It will also happen slightly different but you will see that when it gets there. Also, I am sorry it took so long to update. I sort of lost interest in writing, and just recently school started again so I had no time, but I am writing again now :) I will try my best to write more often, but because of school I might not have enough time all the time. Sorry :( Also, one or two character might not be completely accurate. Anyway, have fun reading!)_

Arslan's P.O.V.

Caught up in their victory of second place, the team didn't realise when the first two one on ones already passed. Daryun snapped his head towards the judges stand as he heard the amplifiers crackle and announce him as one of the fighters in the next one on one. Daryun cast a glance at Arslan and let go of the handles of the wheelchair, walking towards the arena. The other fighter is announced as Alexei from Raven Tail. Once Daryun and Alexei were both in the arena, the match started with a bang on the gong.

Alexei threw a punch at Daryun, hitting his jaw and sending Daryun flying backwards. Arslan's eyes widened at the easy take down, unbelieving of what is happening in front of him. Alexei runs forward, aiming a kick at Daryun's chest. Daryun just barely manages to block it, sending Alexei back a few steps and himself back into the ground. Rough parrying between kicks and hits and Daryun's blocking takes up the space of the arena.

Daryun reaches behind his back and pulls out his spear, anding on his feet and getting into stance quickly. Alexei freezes for a second, observing the new development, before charging again. This time, Daryun easily pushes the kick aside and hits Alexei's back with a daggers hilt, causing Alexei to stumble at his landing. Alexei get back up quickly, spinning around to face Daryun. He runs up, catching Daryun off guard and grabbing his throat, pushing him up against the wall behind him. Daryun chokes, lowering his hands out of Alexei's view.

"Daryun!" Arslan calls out, Drawing Alexei's attention to him. Daryun notices and smiles at Arslan, silently thanking him. He dismisses his spear and summons two dull blades, not sharp enough to cut but sharp enough to leave bruises. His magic, a black-purple color, vibrates around the blades. Daryun glares at Alexei, causing him to stutter in his steps and pause for a split second. That second is enough for Daryun to get the drop on Alexei, and he swings his hand towards Alexei, drawing the dull blade into Alexei's stomach. Daryun pulls his other hand back and punches Alexei's face, throwing him backwards. A dust cloud covers where Alexei fell, creating a cover for him. He stands back up, and when the dust clears, he casts his spell.

A large black beam shoots out of Alexei's hands, aimed towards Daryun. The beam surprised Daryun, sending him towards the wall. Alexei stalks towards Daryun and clasps his throat, bringing him up and slamming him against the wall. Daryun chokes, gazing out towards Arslan, who nods. Daryun stares straight into the mask's eyes. Alexei, unperturbed, formed his hand into a fist, drawing back and aiming at Daryun. He swings, a clean cut straight towards Daryun's chin.

Just as Alexei is about to hit, Daryun's fist shoots up and grabs Alexei's, stopping him from the punch. Alexei stares in shock as his arm is forced down. Daryun twists his arm and pushes, effectively breaking it. Alexei yells out in pain and surprise. Daryun, taking this opportunity, kicks Alexei away from him.

The crowd started murmuring worries. The rest of Raven Tail got into the arena somehow, and they were all surrounding Daryun. He backed up slightly, looking around cautiously, before grinning and standing still. Raven Tail took the opportunity to attack. Flare and Obra run at him, Flare lighting her hair on fire and Obra changes his arm into a spear.

Daryun waits until they are a few steps away from him to jump into the air, causing Obra and Flare to hit each other. Flare's hair tangles onto Obra's spear, creating a knot and keeping them in place. As Daryun comes down he kicks the pair to the ground and lands in a crouch, watching as they stumble to the ground.

Alexei, Kurohebi, and Nullpudding approach. Kurohebi summons the sword Daryun uses and swings. Daryun blocks with the hilt of his and kicks him back. Nullpudding transforms his hand into a spiked ball and swings at Daryun, while Alexei uses a stream of something looking like white paper to confuse Daryun. Not being able to see anything, he closes his eyes and listens. The air whooshes and he jumps to the side, avoiding the swing from Nullpudding. A swing from both his front and bellow him makes him jump backwards. Another swing, and he jumps and kicks, smirking when he hears a grunt and a yell.

Daryun opens his eyes and summons a few small daggers, throws them towards Alexei, and spins to Punch Kurohebi's face. Nullpudding runs at Daryun, getting ready to hit him again. Daryun summons iron knuckles and punches him a quick three times in a row, knocking him out.

Now, with Kurohebi to deal with, he summons a sword and stands on guard. Kurohebi also summons a sword and swings unprofessionally, giving Daryun several open spots to hit. He blocks the swing with the hilt of his sword and hits his side with the front of the blade, knocking Kurohebi off balance.

"You may be able to copy my power, but you can never copy the skill." Daryun says. He dismisses the sword and summons the iron knuckles again, quickly punching and knocking Kurohebi out. Daryun dismisses them and breaths in heavily, exhaling just as heavy, and looks up at Arslan. He smiles and raises his fist slowly in the form of an 'L'. The whole of Fairy Tail, plus most of the arena, cheers loudly at the defeat.

"The winner of day threes third match is Fairy Tail's Daryun!" The Pumpkin Man announces to the crowd. Even more cheers erupt from the crowd. Daryun, still breathing heavy, looks over the audience in victory.

"Also, seeing as how this is blatant cheating, the Raven Tail guild will be disqualified!" The Pumpkin man says in addition. When he finishes his statement, guard come from the outside of the arena to collect the members of Raven Tail and bring them away. Daryun sighs and walks out of the arena and towards his team.

Daryun kneels in front of Arslan and puts his left hand on his heart.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for my recklessness." Daryun asks, bowing his head. Arslan smiles kindly.

"You need not do that, Daryun. You did what you felt was right in that situation. There was no recklessness in need of forgiveness. " Arslan says. Daryun lifts his head and smiles softly back at the young prince. He stands back up and bows at the waist before standing up straight. Arslan smiles as his eyes become tearful. Daryun tenses up, eyes widening in surprise and concern, not knowing what to do.

"I almost lost you, Daryun." Arslan says, looking down.

"I- my apologies, Your Highness."

"I do not know what I would do if I did, Daryun." He admits. Arslan sniffles a little and looks back up at Daryun, smiling as tears start to reim his eyes.

"I am very grateful that you won." Daryun bends down and gathers the prince in his arms.

"It is alright, Prince Arslan. I would never leave you." Arslan grips on to Daryun's coat tighter and buries his face into Daryun's shoulder.

"Good."


	23. Halloween Special

Arslan glanced around the guild, a confused look on his face. Orange lights, pumpkins, and many other different confusing decorations decorated the guild. Daryun stood next to him, a similar look on his face as they observed the guild. Arslan jumped slightly as his vision was suddenly covered by something sliding over his head. He brought his hand up and tipped the thing up slightly, looking out at the guild even more confused. He turned to look at Daryun who was smiling softly at Arslan.

"Daryun?" He asked. Daryun chuckled a motioned behind him. Arslan turned around and spotted Lucy silently giggling with a small rectangular object in her hands. She brought it up and clicked a button on top, making the object flash. Arslan blinked tilted his head.

"What is that?" He asks, coming over to Lucy.

"It's a camera. You can take pictures with it so they are saved forever. Or until you delete them." Lucy explains. Arslan nods.

"So, you can take pictures of anything?"

"Mhm. Like this picture I took of you!" She says, pressing a few buttons. Arslan appears on the screen, a dark purple and black pointed heat sat floppy on his head, tilted up slightly with Arslan raising it above his eyes. A confused look on his face and a curious gleam in his Lapis Lazuli blue eyes. There was a tilt to his head and he stood in a trained straight posture. Arslan looks at the picture, amazed and Daryun leans down over Arslan's shoulder to see.

"Wow…" He trails off. Lucy smiles before she gasps.

"Oh! I just remembered! What are you guys doing for Halloween tomorrow night?" She asks.

"What is… Halloween?" Arslan asks.

"You don't know what that is?" Lucy asks, shocked.

"Lucy, you do remember that they aren't from here? They might not celebrate it over there." Erza reminds from where she is sitting. Lucy gasps in excitement.

"Then this will be your first Halloween! We have to do something!" She exclaims. Daryun grows apprehensive.

"Like what?" He questions cautiously.

"We can have a party with like bobbing for apples, carving pumpkins, apple cider, the usual Halloween party thing! We'll all be in costumes as well." Lucy says, her eyes twinkling in excitement. Arslan laughs a little.

"How are you going to get all this done by tomorrow?" He asks.

"I can ask Master if it is okay, and then I will get everyone in the guild to help!" Lucy explains, then turns around and mutters, "They all will if it is for you two."

"What?" Arslan asks. Lucy laughs nervously.

"Nothing! I'll just go ask Master now." She quickly turns around and bolts to Makarov's office.

"That was… confusing." Arslan says, turning back to Daryun. Erza laughs.

"Don't worry, Arslan. She means well. I'm sure everything will be fine."

"If you say so."

Smiling Jack-O-Lanterns, orange lights, and cobwebs and skeletons decorated the outside of the guild. Howling wind swirled around the guild, creating the desired haunted, creepy, and un-lived affect. Inside the guild, however, was completely different. Orange and black streamers were strung around the guild, orange and black lights twinkled around the walls. Pumpkins cut out with shapes and faces sat on every table. A small pool sat on one side of the room, filled with water and apples. New and untouched pumpkins were piled at the back by a long table. Apple cider and cinnamon donuts hung from the ceiling by a string, as well as the occasional paper bat, pumpkin, or skeleton. Fake ghosts floated around the room with hallucination magic. At the bar was an entire Halloween themed menu, including all the classic pumpkin,apple, and cinnamon desserts, foods, and drinks, as well as some other favorites.

The people inside were all dressed up in different costumes, chatting as they waited for the final guests. Sent to get them, was Lucy. She was in her usual pigtails and had a black cat ear headband on. She wore black clothing and paw looking gloves on her hands. She has a black tail strapped to her lower back, getting hit in the legs every time she walks. She carries a medium sized bag with her with costumes inside for Daryun and Arslan, enchanted to always fit just in case they are the wrong size. When she reaches the door she smirks slightly and knocks. The door creaks open and Daryun, with his shirt tied around his waist, droplets of sweat shining on his skin, appears in the doorway with a spear in his hands.

"Oh, hello Lucy." He says. Lucy smiles.

"Hello, Daryun. Are you and Arslan available? We have the guild ready." She asks. Daryun nods and opens the door wider.

"Please, come in while I get His Highness." Daryun says. Lucy nods and walks carefully inside the door, closing it behind her. She watches as Daryun disappears behind a wall and then reappears with Arslan, a sword in his hands. He smiles when he spots Lucy.

"Hello, Lucy." He greets. She nods her head back to him and brings the bag out in front of her.

"Since this is a Halloween party, I bought you guys costumes." She says. Daryun takes the bag and looks inside, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Costumes? You want us to go undercover?" He asks confused. Lucy giggles.

"No, you dress up like I am! See, I'm a cat." Lucy says, giving them a little spin. Arslan nods his head.

"So these costumes are just for fun?" He asks. Lucy nods.

"Yup! Now, get changed!" She exclaims, pushing the bag into Daryun. He turns and looks at Arslan who shrugs.

"Alright We will be right back, Lucy. Feel free to look around." Arslan says. The two men turn down the hall into their room and change while Lucy sits for them on a tan couch. A few minutes later, a deep chuckle comes from down the hall. Lucy looks up as Arslan, dressed in a medieval prince costume, and Daryun, dressed in a medieval knight costume, come into the room. Daryun and Arslan put their real weapons by their sides instead of the fake ones that came with the costume.

"You guys look great." Lucy says, smiling. Arslan giggles.

"Thank you, Lucy. These clothes are a very accurate representation of the ones I used to wear." Arslan says. Daryun nods in agreement. Lucy smiles and jumps up from the couch, clapping her hands together.

"Alright! Let's go to the guild!"

Arslan and Daryun stare at the guild in amazement.

"How did you decorate the guild in such a short amount of time?" Daryun asks. Lucy smiles.

"Magic." She says. Arslan giggles.

"Of course." He says. They enter the guild and the previously damped music starts blaring out at them. The whole guild is partying. Arslan and Daryun look around, confused smiles on their faces. Well, more like a confused half smile for Daryun.

"Hey Arslan, Daryun!" Natsu yells over the loudness of the guild.

"Hello Natsu!" Arslan yells back.

"Are you ready to party?" Natsu asks, coming closer with Happy trailing next to him. Natsu is dressed in a dragon costume, and Happy is in a fish costume. Arslan smiles brightly and Daryun half smile turns into a full one.

"Of course!" Arslan says.

"Alright!" Natsu exclaims, pumping his fist. He walks Arslan and Daryun around the guild, showing them where everything is, and then walking up to the front of the guild. He whistles sharply, quieting down the noise, and then smirks out at everyone.

"Alright everybody! Arslan and Daryun are here! Let's get this party started!" Natsu yells, finishing his words with fire breathing. The whole guild cheers, getting impossibly louder than before. Candy falls from the ceiling of the guild, along with confetti and streamers. Arslan laughs and stares at the guild in amazement.

"This is truly amazing." He breathes out. Daryun nods in agreement.

"It is, isn't it." He says. Daryun turns and smiles down at Arslan, who turns and smiles at Daryun. Arslan lets out a little laugh and turns back to the guild, his smiles growing, and he takes off into the crowd of people. Daryun chuckles and walks over to Natsu and Happy, keeping his eyes on Arslan while he socializes, and a small smile stays on his face all night.

 **Happy Halloween! I wanted to do a special thing for Halloween but I couldn't think of anything, so this is what came out of that. It's trash, I know. Anyway, thank you for reading!**


	24. Chapter 23

General P.O.V.

That night, at the inn, Daryun helped Arslan out of the wheelchair and into a standing position, clasping his hands on Arslan's forearms, Arslan doing to same. Arslan wobbled a bit before righting himself and standing steady. Still holding onto Daryun's arms, Arslan looks up at Daryun with a bright smile.

"Alright, Highness. I'm going to let go, alright?" Daryun warns, loosening his grip on Arslan's arms. Arslan nods, letting go of Daryun. The team, sitting behind Daryun and watching, all hold their breath. As soon as Arslan loses hold of Daryun, he sways a bit before correcting himself and standing tall with his arms out at his sids like a 'T'. He slowly brings them back down to his sides and beams, standing up by himself. He looks up at the team and they all smile excitedly back at him.

"I did it!" He breathes.

"Good job, Arslan!" Natsu exclaims. Daryun smiles fondly.

"Congratulations, Your Highness. We should get you sitting again soon. The medic said that your lgs shouldn't strain to much, as they became weak during Bacchus' attack." Daryun advises. Arslan nods.

"Alright, Daryun." He says. He looks behind him, checking to make sure nothing was on the bed behind before plopping down into a seated position on the bed. He sighs and rubs his legs, drawing a concerned frowns from Daryun.

"Are you alright, Highness?" He asks. Arslan smiles and nods.

"Yes, I am alright. I just wasn't expecting my legs to feel this way after only a day of not being able to be used. I can only guess that it has to do with the effects of the attacks damaging the muscles in my legs." He explains. Daryun nods.

"Alright. As long as you are not hurt." He glances at the setting sun out the window. "I should probably go back to my Team's inn. I will see you early tomorrow, Highness."

"Alright. Have a good night, Daryun."

"You as well, Your Highness." Daryun leaves and closes the door carefully behind him. Arslan sighs and flops onto his back on the bed.

"Don't worry to much, Arslan. Tomorrow will go fine. You'll be able to start walking the day after tomorrow after a checkup with the nurse." Erza reminds. Arslan smiles at the ceiling.

"Thank you, Erza. We should probably get rest now. The sun has been set for about half an hour." Arslan says. Lucy nods.

"That's a good idea, Arslan. I'm gonna go take a shower." She says. Arslan nods at her and she leaves. Erza requips from her armor to her pajamas and moves to her bed, getting under the covers. Arslan scooches to the top of the bed and slides under the covers, laying down as Gray turns off the lights.

"Good night, everyone." Arslan says.

"Good night, Arslan." The Team replies, fondness present in their voices. Arslan, oblivious to that, turns onto his side and closes his eyes, breathing out and going to sleep.

The sun beat down on the arena, creating a shine on the giant water bubble in the center of the field. Birds chirped and the wind blew peacefully, the complete opposite of the excitement inside the arena from the people in the stands. The previously mentioned bubble floated several feet above the arena, shining bright blue and waiting for its use.

From Fairy Tail, Lucy and Juvia were the chosen competitors. They walked down to the arena in bathing suits and jumped into the water bubble, looking around at the other competitors. Most of them were girls. The one guy, from from the Team of Quatro Puppy, looked a little lost at all the females in the bubble. He was the first one out of the bubble when the game started.

Lucy pulled her keys from where she had them attached at her side and pulled out Aquarius. Aquarius, an angry look on her face at being summoned and about ready to sweep Lucy up in a tidal wave, glances around at her surroundings. She takes a breath and send several people, Lucy not included, out of the bubble and on to the ground. Juvia fights back against Aquarius, making Aquarius actually have to try and win.

Aquarius glances over at the stands and spots Arslan. She smiles and he waves a little, smiling back. Aquarius nods and vanishes. Lucy sighs and pulls out two more keys, Aries and Virgo. The battle continues, people falling out of the bubble left and right. Pretty soon, it is just Lucy and a girl from Sabertooth Arslan doesn't recognize. Arslan frowns and glances over at the Sabertooth stands, noticing Yukino missing.

He catches Sting's eye and sends him a questioning look. Sting sighs and looks down, shaking his head. Arslan touches his keys at his side, asking Rufus to form a mental connection between himself and Sting. Feeling a tingle in the back of his head and knowing the connection was formed, Arslan starts talking to Sting.

" _Sting, what happened to Yukio?"_ Sting's eyes widen in surprise.

" _Arslan?"_ Sting asks. " _How are you talking in my head?"_

" _I asked Rufus, my spirit, to form a mental connection between us so that we could communicate from a distance, as well as avoiding others hearing us."_

" _Oh, alright."_

" _Where's Yukio? And who's that?"_

" _That is Minerva. She is Yukio's replacement after she got... kicked out of the guild for losing a match."_ Sting says, turning his head away.

" _Why would that happen?"_

" _The master has a strict policy that a Raven Tail member should never lose a match."_

" _Any person who thinks that the worth of a person is determined by if they win or lose a battle is not a person worthy of respect."_

" _That… That is true, Arslan. But we can't really go against him. He is the guild master. If we go against him he might kick us out or something worse."_

" _Then get people to team up with you and fight back against him. He should know that he should not be able to get away with that."_

" _I'll try. Thank you Arslan."_

" _It is… no problem, as people here would say."_ Stings smiles slightly before turning away again.

" _I… want you to know that if anything happens, we're going to take sides with Minerva. She is our guild mate, as well as the guild master's daughter, and none of us want to risk being kicked out of the guild if we can help it. It's still our guild. Our home. We could never leave. But, just know that if she starts fights, the only people who the rest of us won't fight against are you, and by extension Daryun. We still have a reputation to uphold, and whatever she does will be to keep that, no matter the consequence. Our friendship with you changes nothing between the guilds."_ Sting speaks before the connection ends. Arslan nods in sorrowfully, understanding that this might mean a small fight between his teammates and the Raven Tail team, as he casts his gaze out over to bubble in the field, confused at the stare off happening between the two girls. Minerva raises her hand and small pockets of water bubble, sending out several attacks at Lucy, one right after another. When the attacks stops, Lucy reaches to her keys only to find them gone. Lucy glances around herself quickly before looking up at Minerva, gasping when she spots her keys and whip in Minerva's hand.

Arslan leans forward in the wheelchair, trying to get a better look at what happened. Without her keys and whip, Lucy is defenceless. Minerva starts using her magic on Lucy's keys, making Lucy grow angry and worried. Minerva sends out an attack at Lucy, sending her flying backwards towards the end of the bubble of water. Just as her back starts to go through the bubble, Lucy stops and floats back in. Minerva smirks and sends a bit of magic behind Lucy. When it explodes, Lucy winces in pain and floats towards Minerva.

With only three minutes left on the clock, Minerva ups the attacks. Two blasts hit Lucy on either side of her body, and she floats backwards. Less than thirty seconds now, and Lucy and Minerva have stopped. Just floating in the bubble, facing each other as Lucy grips her arm. The timer ends, and neither Lucy nor Minerva made a move against each other. As soon as the announces tell them they can start fighting for the top spot, Minerva pulls her arm back, preparing another spell. She hits Lucy, stronger than last time, and Lucy yells in pain. Shock after shock of heat, Lucy floats further and further back. Getting close the the edge doesn't help, for Minerva casts a spell making Lucy appear next to her. She knees and punches Lucy, punches infused with magic to double the damage.

"STOP IT!" Natsu exclaims, having enough of it. Natsu, Erza, and Gray, glare at Raven Tail, rage in their eyes. Minerva continues to beat Lucy, unable to be stopped. Arslan glares the the judges and the Pumpkin Man standing by them and opens a connection with the Pumpkin Man.

" _Stop the match."_ He demands. When the Pumpkin Man does nothing, Arslan breaths out angrily, eyes flaring. " _NOW."_ He growls. The Pumpkin Man flinches at the sudden hostility and raises his hand.

"Stop the match!" He yells out. The fight stops and Minerva grabs Lucy by her throat, holding her out of the bubble as water drips down Lucy's beaten and disturbingly still body. The judges call for paramedics and Team A rushes out of the stands to help her. Minerva smirks and drops Lucy, watching as Natsu and Gray race to catch her before she hits the ground. Wendy, Juvia, and Sherria race to Lucy, Wendy and Sherria planning on using their healing magic. Raven Tail jumps down there, ready to backup Minerva in the current glaring match between the two guild.

"Just because we're friends with your buddy Arslan does not mean we'll go easy on you. He's the one we're friendly with, not you guys." Sting announces as the Fairy Tail members glare at them. Erza sighs.

"I should have expected that. And while Arslan is out of commision, you have no one stopping you from going all out on us." She says. The Raven Tail team nods, smirking. The crowd started cheering for a fight and Arslan leans further and further out of his chair, wanting to do anything to stop the tension and fight about to happen.

"Although you may be considered the strongest guild in Fiore, you'd be wise to heed this warning. Listen carefully. Making an enemy of Fairy Tail is a decision that you will regret." Erza says, glaring at the Raven Tail team. The paramedics arrive on scene and take Lucy to the medical wing, working while they move. Arslan sits back in his wheelchair, wishing he had an easy way down to the arena. As if hearing his wish, a quiet chime sounds next to Arslan, making him jump as he looks over at what caused the sound. Arslan blinks when he spots the… half horse half human? Arslan looks at the horse-human curiously, noticing the tanned skin bleeding into the black horse body at his waist, purple eyes, and pale blonde hair and tail. Arslan smiles at the horse-human who smiles back, bending on of his legs to bow.

"Good afternoon, Prince Arslan. I am a centaur named Doreanthus, the horse spirit in the chinese Zodiac." He introduces. Arslan smile sup at him.

"It is nice to meet you, Doreanthus." Arslan greets, glancing back out at his friends. Doreanthus tilts his head, gazing at Arslan curiously.

"I'm the spirit of transportation and speed..." He says, trailing off slightly, giving Arslan time to register why he appeared. Arslan looked up to Doreanthus, shocked.

"How did you know I wanted to go down there?" He asked.

"It is my duty to be intune with my key holder. I sensed your desire to be with your friends and your inability to do so, so I summoned myself. I can take you down there, if you wish." He offers, tail swishing behind him. Arslan smiles gratefully.

"Are you sure? I won't make you do that." He says. Doreanthus nods, smiling.

"I want to. You are my key holder, and Rufus has told us about how you are to your spirits. We all want to meet you." Doreanthus assures before grabbing the handles of Arslan's wheelchair.

"Hold on. We will be down there momentarily." He says. A sudden pop can be heard, along with a scenery change around Arslan. He thanks Doreanthus who nods and disappears before noticing he is now down with his teammates and grabs Erza's sleeve, making her turn around. She turns her gaze down to Arslan and wacks Natsu's hand, who hits Gray, getting their attention to Arslan, who smiles carefully at them. They gather around him and start a group hug, Wendy soon joining, as well as the rest of the guild.

"Will she be okay?" Happy asks, standing on the bed near Lucy's head. No one answers, all to busy worrying, when the door opens.

"Any word on Lucy's condition?" Juvia asks.

"You guys came." Gray says.

"We may be on different teams, but we're still part of the same guild. And besides, we brought Daryun and Arslan with us." Cana says, moving to the side as Daryun wheels in Arslan. Arslan smiles tightly at everyone before Daryun moves him to the head of the bed. The rest of the team members enter the room and start a conversation, only having it stop by Happy's exclamation of 'She's awake!' Lucy opens an eye and groans slightly, looking around the room to see the team members.

"I'm sorry." Lucy says, looking up at the ceiling.

"Why are you sorry?" Arslan asks.

"You did nothing wrong." Daryun says.

"Because I screwed up again." Lucy says.

"Hey, second place isn't so bad." Gray announces

"We got eight points." Wendy continues.

"But, I lost my keys." Lucy replies. Arslan smiles softly and pulls something out from by his side. He places Lucy's key pouch into her hands.

"I have them, Lucy. I sent a message to them telling them what happened. They all missed you." He tells her. She smiles and brings them closer to her.

"That's a relief. I don't know what I would do if I lost them." She sighs, her voice getting quieter and she falls asleep. A few seconds after she falls asleep, Master Makarov comes into the room quietly.

"I have something to tell you. I was just contacted by the games organizers. Though I'm not sure if it will be a help or hindrance to us, we've been asked to consolidate our two teams into one. Since Raven Tail has been disqualified, There are now seven teams an odd number makes it difficult to match up competitors for the battles. There for, we've been ordered to do away with the A and B groups and form a single five person for the rest of the tournament." Master explains. "The members of the new team are; Natsu, Gajeel, Erza, Daryun, and because I was told he will be able to walk by tomorrow, Arslan."

Arslan sighs, standing up. His legs tingle slightly from not being used, but with Natsu and Gajeel on either side of him, Daryun behind him, and Erza in front of him, he is confident he will be fine. Because of the new teams, they decided it would be best to switch inns so that the people on the team can stick together. Arslan draws in a shaky breath and takes a step forward, almost immediately bring his hands out to his sides to stop from falling over. Natsu and Gajeel brought their hands up as well, ready to stop him from falling. Arslan takes another, cautious step, and then a slightly bigger one, closer to Erza. He lets out a little laugh as he takes more steps, growing used to the feelings in his legs again. He lifts his head up and smiles at the people around him who are all smiling back softly.

"You did it, Highness!" Daryun exclaims. Arslan smiles even brighter.

"I walked again." He says. Erza shakes her head, smiling fondly.

"Congratulations, Arslan. Now, I hate to make this party short, but it is getting late and we all need rest for tomorrow." She says. Arslan nods his head in understanding.

"All right. Thank you for letting me do this before then, though." He says. Erza gives him a small pat on the head.

"It's no problem, Arslan. We're all happy your able to walk again. Now, you should rest so you can do more of that tomorrow." She advises. Arslan laughs.

"Alright. Good night, everyone." He says. They give him their version of a good night, and the light shut off.


End file.
